Los Bitchos are made up of a guitarist, Serra, who's of both Australian and Turkish heritage, a Uruguayan synth and keytar player, Agustina Ruiz, a Swedish bassist, Josefine Jonsson, and a British drummer, Nic Crawshaw. That is a fact highlighted in the quartet's press materials, and it's worth mentioning here given how this group's music seems to incorporate so many styles. Lively and far-ranging, the largely-instrumental pieces on Talkie Talkie, the band's new record, are full of pep and vigor.
On "Talkie Talkie, Charlie Charlie", the quartet embrace a kind of funk, though it's one with supple, near country-influenced guitar lines, while on the spry "Open the Bunny, Wasting My Time", there's a hint of Afro-Pop in the hooks. Heck, there's more than one hint here, given how much is being crammed together on these nimble numbers. I mean, "La Bomba" offers up synth-pop percussion with Latin-esque guitar workouts. Most songs on Talkie Talkie deftly mash up genres and styles, though "It's About Time", a highlight for me, sees the four-some shift into a slow-burn groove that's all their own.
Los Bitchos are creating their own genre of music on Talkie Talkie. That's something I dig. The resulting music is energetic and clever, with instrumental passages that are full of life. This is a fun record, and one which is inventive in ways which a lot of indie-pop is not.
Talkie Talkie by Los Bitchos is out tomorrow. Details below.
[Photo: Tom Mitchell]