I know that for many of you the summer is almost over, but my summer has just begun... and I have declared this CD to be the official soundtrack. It's fresh, and fun, and - OK, a bit repetitive, but did I mention it's fun? With a title like Let the Festivities Begin!, the band has made their intentions clear from the start, and all I can say is "mission accomplished". Talking about the band, this is comprised by four young ladies from all around the world: guitarist Serra Petale comes from Australia, keyboardist Agustina Ruiz from Uruguay, bassist Josefine Jonsson from Sweden, and finally drummer Nic Crawshaw is a local (English) girl. So, three different continents and an island that's unsure as to where it belongs. We shouldn't also forget to mention the 5th -honorary- Bitcho, producer/co-writer Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand fame. He's the one who "discovered" the band and ushered them into the studio in order to record what he heard as soon as possible. The album was ready to hit the stores by January 2020 - and then the pandemic hit, so with no chances of promoting the CD with live shows, its circulation kept getting postponed until the first half of 2022. Then, in the summer of the same year, I chanced upon it during a visit to England, and brought it home. The moment I heard the first song, I got a clear idea of what I was in for: "The Link Is About to Die" is not just a strong opener, but also a perfect introduction to the band: this combination of surf guitars, 60's psychedelia, funk, and Latin rhythms (with the occasional oriental flourishes) is what Festivities... is all about. The group have described their sound as "a retro-futuristic blend of Peruvian chica, Argentine cumbia, Turkish psych, and surf guitars" - so precise that they are robbing music critics of the chance to come up with a description of their own. The album is completely instrumental; if I'm not mistaken that's a novelty for girl bands, but the four Bitchos are profficient enough musicians to pull it off. The guitar is, as usual, the prevailing instrument: Serra Petale is now my favorite female guitarist not named after a Batman supervillain. But the synths add a different dimension, introducing an electronic/disco influence, the bassist ups the funk, and drummer proves quite agile in handling crafty tempo changes. These changes being among Los Bitchos signature moves: they make a 4-minute song like "Las Panteras" sound like a mini prog epic comprised of many smaller pieces expertly stitched together. "FFS" ([not] coincidentally the name of a supergroup comprised of Alex Kapranos and The Sparks' Mael brothers) ups the oriental touches with a Greek bouzouki intro - courtesy, I believe, of half-Greek Kapranos. "Try the Circle!" marries oriental guitar licks with a backtrack out of cheesy 70's crime TV shows. "Tropico" sports a comparatively hypnotic reggae beat, but the overall mood is upbeat, celebratory, and more than a little silly. All in all, this may not be a great album, but it sure is a fun one - which obviously has been the point all along. If you haven't succumbed to the ease of streaming playlists, and still play CD's at parties, you're going to need this one!
**** for The Link Is About to Die, Pista (Fresh Start), FFS, Las Panteras, Change of Heart
*** for I Enjoy It, Tropico, Good to Go!, Tripping at a Party, Try the Circle!, Lindsay Goes to Mykonos
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