Under his care, these small moments become coordinates for the peaks and valleys of human experience, coloring the album with Wauters’ unique shade of realism. With some of his recording plans hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, he mined older songs, phone notes, new material, and snippets from TV and YouTube to craft an aural document of the year through his eyes. Wauters’ chameleonic songwriting has continued to evolve in recent years: on his latest effort, Real Life Situations, he’s delved deeper into collaboration, teaming up with Mac DeMarco, Peter Sagar (AKA Homeshake), Nick Hakim, Cola Boyy, El David Aguilar, and more for experiments in hip-hop, lo-fi R&B, and deft indie folk.

Elements he’d flirted with in the past – singing in Spanish, traditional instruments like bongo drums and marimba, the collaborative spirit of his live shows – came to the forefront on these releases. As a result, 2018’s La Onda De Juan Pablo and its follow-up, Introducing Juan Pablo, became his most expansive and sonically diverse records to date, tracing both his Uruguayan roots and his travellers’ spirit. Inviting local musicians to contribute to the songs he was working on, Wauters emerged with a collection steeped in the musical traditions of each country he’d visited. After the release of Who, Me? Wauters spent several years touring and travelling the world, including a long stint in Latin America - from Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Chile to Mexico and Puerto Rico - where he began working on his next project. 2015’s Who, Me? honed in on those qualities, full of clever ruminations on the pace of day-to-day life sung in both English and his native Spanish. Released on Captured Tracks, his solo debut had the same candid charm and DIY sound as his work with the Beets, but with a folk-inspired, introspective glaze that would become his signature. A founding member of Queens garage act The Beets, Wauters began releasing music under his own name in 2014 with N.A.P. To be a fan of his music is to be invited into the ever-expanding cast of characters that animate his work – Wauters has a knack for fostering community wherever he goes. The Uruguayan-born, Jackson Heights, NY-dwelling musician is best known not for a specific musical style, but instead for the crystalline sincerity that underpins everything he does: from the heartfelt earnestness of his lyricism to the playful rituals of his live shows (singalongs, covers, races). Starline Social Club PresentsJuan WautersHeaven’s ClubStephen Steinbrink Live in the BallroomTues – Doors 7pm$15adv // $20dos 18+ Juan Wauters There’s an almost mythological quality to the world of Juan Pablo Wauters. Juan Wauters w/ Heaven’s Club & Stephen Steinbrink

Background Noise by Peter DeMarco