Album Review: Los Bitchos - ‘Los Bitchos & Friends Vol. 1’

Trying to categorize the music of Los Bitchos is a bit of a fool’s errand in that the London-based group has at its very core the blending of influences spanning the globe. With the recent departure of their keytarist and founding member Agustina Ruiz, the band now stands as a trio made up of Serra Petale (guitar), Josefine Jonsson (bass), and Nic Crawshaw (drums), but rather than simplifying their sound or leaning into the mold of a rock power trio, their new release, Los Bitchos & Friends Vol. 1, is, as the title suggests, a distinct continuation of their eclecticism, and even an expansion of it, through work with several noted collaborators. Having been won over by their heady mix of Anatolian rock, cumbia, and Afro-funk upon their arrival in the indie rock underground, I’m thrilled that this newest effort finds the band just as vital as ever.

Largely an instrumental act for their first two long players, Los Bitchos let vocals into the mix here in exciting ways. The album opener, “Hang Up (Pt 2),” has the backbone of that solid groove we’ve come to expect from the Jonsson/Crawshaw rhythm section spiked with the scorchingly precise guitarwork of Petale, but partially filtered through the psychedelic sensibilities of Adrian Quesada (of Black Pumas fame) and glistening with the addition of Sinkane’s silky falsetto. The chorus chant of “Let it go now” turns the song’s title inside out, a mantra for letting go of preconceptions and old patterns. It’s a near-perfect mission statement.

Other standout collabs include “Holding Cell,” featuring King Gizzard’s Ambrose Kenny-Smith, further cementing the psych bona fides of the collection. On the track, Petale spins a serpentine lead line that coils around the themes of containment and constraint in Kenny-Smith’s lyrics, a counterpoint to the opener’s chorus. Beautifully buoyed by Jonsson’s funk-charged bassline, “El Pençe” brings an air of mystery, with the poetic cadence of Merve Erdem's Turkish phrasing helping further accentuate the Anatolian roots long interwoven within Los Bitchos' sonic tapestry. These new timbres and textures manage the balancing act of adding unique inflections while also feeling like organic outgrowths of their sound.

To that end, the four tracks credited to Los Bitchos alone show that the ever-curious appetite that has defined their instrumental explorations to this point is still the gravitational center of the work. Far from being overshadowed by the collabs, these tracks gain from the company they keep.

I must confess that my favorite moment on the entire album comes in the closing spot credited to just the trio. Instead of a moment of closure, “Next Selection (Prelude),” in both name and vibe, pushes onward to what I can only hope will continue to be a bright future for this band who do so much more than simply rock. We can’t know yet what this prelude-as-punctuation may bring, but whether it be a Vol. 2 with more friends or the trio hunkering down on their own, it leaves my curiosity piqued and wanting more.

Rating – 8/10