In 2017, four women formed Los Bitchos in London. Though the group is based in the UK, only one member is actually English — the rest are from South America or Europe. Josefine Jonsson, Nic Crawshaw, Serra Petale and Agustina Ruiz got together with no real idea of what their sound might be. “I always say it reminds me of The Sims, you know, the video game?” Petale says of their first few demos. They finished their first album in 2020 and were gearing up to head to Austin for SXSW when the pandemic hit. Surprisingly, their career didn’t stagnate during lockdown and instead they were featured in a video that surpassed 1 million views and did their own monthly radio show. In March this year, they finally made it to SXSW.
Let the Festivities Begin! was released in 2022, nearly two years after it was finished. The entirely instrumental album gives exactly what it promises — festivities. The sound is decidedly groovy and diverse, spanning Argentine cumbia to Turkish psych to California surf. The first track, The Link Is About To Die, digs deeply into middle eastern funk peppered with Spotnicks-style rolling guitar. The rest of the album follows a similar vibe, throwing in disco, cumbia, groove and funk, and ends with an ode to Lindsay Lohan in Lindsay Goes to Mykonos. The sound is Khruangbin-esque while maintaining its own independence and commitment to having fun.
Enjoy.
Let the Festivities Begin! - Los Bitchos
Pair this album with:
Free Your Mind Wonderwerk Pet Nat. It’s glou glou season now (at least in Texas), so I’m pairing all of my meals with sparkling wines. For this, a sparkling rosé will do just fine. Wonderwerk is a winery out of LA and all of their wines are very good. This one in particular is a piquette, so it has a low ABV and is great for light day drinking.
Honey, Garlic and Chile Wings. I’m going into weekend party food mode and wings are the thing. For a veg option, this buffalo cauliflower recipe is unreal. Sprinkle green onion and some toasted sesame seeds on both and it’s a damn party. If you want to get a little wild, make this dorito furikake recipe with cool ranch and throw some of those on top, too.
Honey Lavender Ice Cream. Party dessert! It’s slightly savory, slightly sweet with a lot of interesting flavors going on. Mix some tarragon in or sprinkle some togarashi or flaky sea salt on top.
Thank you! Have a great weekend. ✨
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