July Roundup: Los Bitchos ‘Let the Festivities Begin!’ and more
I’m a little concerned with the speed at which July came and went, but we’re gonna choose to ignore it right now and dive right into the tunes.
HIGHEST RATED: Let the Festivities Begin!, Los Bitchos (2022)
Los Bitchos transports listeners to a psychedelic, intercontinental luau on Let the Festivities Begin!, their instrumental debut album released in February of 2022. Based in London, but coming from all over (the group has ties to Australia, Sweden, Uruguay, and Turkey), Serra Petale, Nic Crawshaw, Jesfine Jonsson, and Agustina Ruiz fittingly met at a party in 2017. After spending some time supporting Mac Demarco through Europe, the group has come out strong in 2023 with a stacked touring schedule (which included Coachella and Austin Psych Fest) in support of their first release.
What the record lacks in vocals, it makes up for in world-building. Track titles give you all the context needed to be taken on a journey by the bright and warbly guitars, the glittering keys, and the funked-to-the-max bass. It feels as though the band members have invited you along on a night out, and each track is another step along the journey. Opener “The Link Is About to Die” immediately kicks into a tropicália groove that is heightened by keys that resemble a synthy organ and persistent bongos and maracas. The track is glowing, full of energy, and immediately puts you in high spirits for the rest of the record to come. These drilling grooves only become more pronounced as the album goes on. “The Link” quickly switches into “I Enjoy It,” a track that flexes the group’s skills in psychedelia. The songs deliver on the experience they promise to provide, sometimes most accurately when alluding to mind-altering drugs: “Tripping at a Party” IS like tripping at a party with its looping guitar theme that only continues to amplify with layers of new instruments; “Try the Circle!” feels like what I would imagine is the theme song of a makeshift ayahuasca retreat held in someone’s apartment, cowbell and all.
The group jumps seamlessly between genres: bending, combining, and toeing lines where necessary to create a sound that is uniquely theirs, which includes unique production choices, as well as sometimes-risky instrumentation that pays off. Sleighbells might sound out of place on a record like this, but “Tropico” proves that wrong. They also aren’t afraid to get down and gritty. The swirling psychedelic breakdown that closes out “Las Panteras” is one of my favorite moments of the entire album.
Los Bitchos are uniquely their own, don’t get me wrong. But some of my favorite moments also came in hearing similarities to some of my favorite artists. The Tame Impala-esque distorted guitar breakdown 2/3 of the way through the otherwise calm groove that is “Pista (Fresh Start)” gave me the same exact feeling as the blown-out “Endors Toi.” “Change of Heart” immediately reminded me of a slowed, tiki-fied version of The Strokes’ “Partners in Crime” off Comedown Machine: the cyclical guitar riffs are mirror images of each other. For all of Los Bitchos’ instrumental glory, it’s hard not to compare them to Khruangbin (a la “People Everywhere (Still Alive”), an unspoken leader in this space that has been able to somewhat skyrocket into the mainstream. While yes, they are both predominantly instrumental groups, and yes, they both have a surf rock haze over their entire discographies, the groups are still distinct. Los Bitchos’ continental influences shine through and set them apart from others in the modern psychedelia pack.
Also, the ENTIRE group rocks bangs. Talk about a power move.
Top tracks include: “The Link Is About To Die,” “Tripping at a Party,” “Try the Circle!”
July Honorable Mentions
Cleo, Charlotte Dos Santos (2017)
Top tracks include: “Watching You,” “Take It Slow,” “It’s Over, Bobby”
Listen if you like: Summer, fresh sheets, poetry, hazes, laying down, the occasional saxophone
Geek the Girl, Lisa Germano (1994)
Top tracks include: “My Secret Reason,” “Just Geek,” “Stars”
Listen if you like: Liz Phair, music boxes, motifs, riot grrrl, violin, mountain ranges, outer space
Hour of Green Evening, GOON (2022)
Top tracks include: “Pink and Orange,” “Angelnumber 1210,” “Ochre”
Listen if you like: Babe Rainbow, The Midnight Gospel, The Japanese House, mushrooms, valleys, Zelda, childhood
SHOCK OF THE MONTH: Natural Disaster, Bethany Cosentino (2023)
Bethany Cosentino, one-half of Best Coast, released her debut solo record, Natural Disaster, at the end of this month. Like any teen growing up in the 2010s who was semi-interested in alt and indie rock, Best Coast’s Crazy for You was my die-by anthem for more than half of high school. I’ve stayed a casual fan of the duo, and specifically of Cosentino’s, keeping up with her on Twitter (she is hysterical), and was really excited when she announced her solo release.
Naturally, I wasn’t expecting a Best Coast ripoff. That would’ve been disappointing in its own right. But I have to say, I wasn’t expecting country pop. I can always appreciate a desert cowboy kinda vibe, but I don’t think this landed the way it could have. The album feels super produced from top to bottom (a major part of Best Coast’s early appeal was their lack thereof), and the riffs and melodies are somewhat Swift-y (derogatory). It's obviously okay that Cosentino is changing her style and taking this record as a chance to explore something different. It makes complete sense that she views her solo work as different and separate from Best Coast—obviously no one is chaining her to one record/group/project—Natural Disaster just came as a major surprise and a slight disappointment because I was hoping for something slightly different than a California-fied Kacey Musgraves. I hold a lot of respect for her as an artist for not staying stagnant and exploring new avenues of expression, this just didn’t happen to click with me.
That doesn’t mean that you won’t love it! I’d honestly recommend everyone give it a listen, especially fans of Best Coast: 13 years since Crazy For You, Cosentino is different, but so are the listeners. This is bound to resonate with some of them.
And with that, July has come and gone. The music never stops!
