Get to know BALTHVS
I by no means appreciated the outline of BALTHVS as a psychedelic rock band. I grew up with psychedelic rock bands with names like The Doorways, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Useless, Pink Floyd, and The Jimi Hendrix Expertise. These had been bands that you just listened to on acid, or at the very least you thought you had been on acid once you listened to them. I suppose BALTHVS goes past that label.
However BALTHVS calls itself a Colombian psychedelic funk trio, so I’ll go together with it. No matter they name themselves, they’re rattling good. They’re dreamy at instances, at different instances they’re head-banging guitar riff masters and mistresses. If you take heed to them, you retain saying, “How do they do this?”
They emerged like a moth from a cocoon in 2019 and shortly attracted over 755,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify. Their music is well known for its eclectic fusion of genres, seamlessly mixing Center Japanese music, disco, home, funk, psychedelia, indie rock, surf, and cumbia into a particular and cohesive sound. They’re identified for his or her energetic dwell performances, improvisational aptitude, and prolific output, having launched dozens of singles and a number of other full-length albums. Their worldwide presence is notable, with performances at main festivals comparable to SXSW, Austin Metropolis Limits, Exterior Lands, and Colombia’s Rock al Parque, in addition to appearances on distinguished radio platforms like KEXP and the BBC. Really a Music Sin Fronteras band.
The band consists of three core members: Balthazar Aguirre (guitar, vocals), Johanna Mercuriana (bass, vocals), and Santiago Lizcano (drums, vocals). At the moment, bassist Vanessa Cejudo, aka “Vane”, has been performing with the band as a short lived alternative for founding member Johana Mercuriana, who’s on maternity go away. Vanessa has taken half in dwell performances and recordings alongside guitarist Balthazar Aguirre and drummer Santiago Lizcano for a number of months and is an beautiful bass participant.
The band has developed a sound that’s each groovy and atmospheric, drawing inspiration from international music traditions just like the rhythms and melodies from Africa, Turkey, and throughout Latin America. However they’ve maintained a robust psychedelic funk id, just lately kicking off their Yr of the Snake tour with a salute to Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Useless with their rendition of the Useless’s “Shakedown Avenue.”
Given the variety of songs and albums they’ve produced, it’s arduous to say the place to start out when you’ve got by no means heard them and also you need to know them higher. However their 2025 EP, Flesh and Soul is pretty much as good a spot as any to dive in. 4 songs that can all carry you away with guitar instrumentals that appear to raise you as you hear, particularly by headphones. The Center Japanese accents of “The Yr of the Snakes”, will captivate you, whereas “Temper Swing (Ideas of Rhythm)” strikes you alongside gently, and “Killig” appears like a gentle wind blowing by guitar strings, particularly the bass.
Psychedelic or not, BALTHVS is a superb band with music you by no means tire of. Examine them out on all main platforms, particularly the brand new EP, and their 2025 album Harvest.
Patrick O’Heffernan
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