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 simply listened to on acid, or no less than you thought you had been on acid whenever you listened to them. I suppose BALTHVS goes past that label.
However BALTHVS calls itself a Colombian psychedelic funk trio, so I’ll associate 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. Whenever you take heed to them, you retain saying, “How do they do this?”
They emerged like a moth from a cocoon in 2019 and rapidly attracted over 755,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify. Their music is widely known for its eclectic fusion of genres, seamlessly mixing Center Jap music, disco, home, funk, psychedelia, indie rock, surf, and cumbia into a particular and cohesive sound. They’re recognized for his or her energetic stay performances, improvisational aptitude, and prolific output, having launched dozens of singles and several other full-length albums. Their worldwide presence is notable, with performances at main festivals corresponding to SXSW, Austin Metropolis Limits, Outdoors Lands, and Colombia’s Rock al Parque, in addition to appearances on outstanding 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). Presently, bassist Vanessa Cejudo, aka “Vane”, has been performing with the band as a brief substitute for founding member Johana Mercuriana, who’s on maternity go away. Vanessa has taken half in stay 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 powerful 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 Road.”
Given the variety of songs and albums they’ve produced, it’s laborious to say the place to begin you probably have by no means heard them and also you wish 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 via headphones. The Center Jap accents of “The Yr of the Snakes”, will captivate you, whereas “Temper Swing (Rules of Rhythm)” strikes you alongside gently, and “Killig” looks like a gentle wind blowing via 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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