Hibiscus

Sebastian Jimenez-Pardo

Lyrics:

Driftwood and iguana skin

Incessant morning star

With sentiment of reverence

I pick the rusty strings of your old guitar

Sitting on the sofa

With the heavy coastal sun

Flipping through an album of pictures of your mother when

she was young

Rotting in the closet still

Are hanging your old clothes

And little bits of history

And stacks of books of poetry, life, and war

All that's left is left serene

Mediterranean mahal

Debris lives on the curtains

Crooked paintings on the wall

I can tell what kind of man you were from the items in your drawer

A terracotta soldier

A distant recollection of times before

You looked up at the midnight sky

In astrophilic silence

Unfazed by our existence

Like we're some accident of science

You're something of an artifact

With Neptune on your chest

Swim me to the ocean

From this beach to the next

Sebastian Jimenez-Pardo (also known as his stage name, Sebastian Pardo) is an indie folk artist from San José, Costa Rica. He studied classical violin at the Instituto Nacional de la Música (National Institute of Music) and the Universidad de Costa Rica (University of Costa Rica) and has played in orchestras his entire life. Formerly an EDM and Lo-Fi artist, Sebastian was captivated by the tenderness and rawness of artists like Sufjan Stevens, The Arcadian Wild, and Gregory Alan Isakov, which inspired him to teach himself the guitar. He released his first acoustic album Still Life in 2020. His latest album Milk was released in 2022, whose track “S'mores” was performed live with string quartet at Luzerne Music Center. His latest single “Graduation” was named his graduating class's titular song and was showcased at his high school graduation ceremony. Since then, Sebastian decided to study songwriting at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he is recording his fourth album, Tiki House. Sebastian is a multi-instrumentalist. His abilities range from the violin and viola to the banjo and mandolin. He enjoys learning about cultures through their music and instruments, even going as far as writing a song on the Russian Balalaika. His love of musical honesty and gentle, stripped-down sounds, as well as his curiosity for new and exciting sonic flavors, is his guiding force throughout his musical journey.