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Los Bitchos to Release New Album 'Talkie Talkie'
Their highly anticipated second album, Talkie Talkie, will be out August 30, 2024.
By: Josh Sharpe Jun. 04, 2024
The London-based, internationally assembled instrumental four-piece Los Bitchos has announced the highly anticipated second album, Talkie Talkie, out August 30, 2024 via City Slang!
The announcement comes just ahead of a performance Los Bitchos will do this Friday, June 7th on French TV's ARTE Ground Control, alongside The Lemon Twigs and Fat White Family. Tune in at around 9:00 PM CET to catch their performance of a few songs from the new album HERE and HERE.
A sonic adventure which transports the listener into a world where funk, disco, Latin and Turkish rhythms collide in a euphoric fusion, Talkie Talkie is glistening with charisma, sonic experimentation and a puckish spirit. Named after a fictional club of the same name, Talkie Talkie is a late-night paradise brimming with freedom and possibility; a place where partygoers can escape reality in the dance or daydream along to the invigorating soundscapes. If Los Bitchos’ electrifying 2022 debut album Let the Festivities Begin! was the rowdy build up to the big night out, then Talkie Talkie is the Technicolor explosion of the dancefloor.
At the center of Talkie Talkie is a vivid cinematic universe that takes inspiration from the band’s favorite aesthetic era: the ‘80s. Think less self-serious men and gated reverb and more campy, hi-fi pop songwriting that glistens with moxie. The four-piece especially tapped into the sonic innovation happening during that period, where analogue and digital techniques collided to create polished texture and depth. Talkie Talkie’s recording process happened over a short but intense burst of time in London’s RAK Studios and Lightship 95. Over just one month, the band hunkered down with producer Oli Barton-Wood (Wet Leg, Nilüfer Yanya) and engineer Giles Barrett (Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective) to render the demos in full color.
The announcement coincides with the release of a sparkling new single, “Don’t Change,” the second shared from Talkie Talkie, following the ‘80s Turkish psych-infused bop, “La Bomba,” which was described by Rolling Stone as “a swirling concoction of vibrant disco energy, Eighties Turkish psych-rock, and pure funk,” adding: “We’re excited for what’s next.”
The band shares the following about “Don’t Change,” which comes accompanied by a joyful video by Tom Mitchell: “‘Don't Change’ is a pure bliss track; think holiday vibes with ice creams, beach balls, sunsets and margaritas. It’s feel-good, with sun soaked melodies, vibrant arpeggiator synth bass, and layers of percussion. We had such a fun time making the video, making up little dances and frolicking about in the sand and sea!”
Made up of lead guitarist Serra Petale, who carries both Australian and Turkish heritage, Uruguayan synth and keytar player Agustina Ruiz, Swedish bassist Josefine Jonsson and British drummer Nic Crawshaw, Los Bitchos are united by a commitment to having fun. It’s a contagious energy they’ve had no problem transmitting to the world: since the band officially arrived in 2019 with two sell-out 7" singles, they marked themselves as one of London’s brightest bands to watch, radiating the verve of their personalities and cultures through their exploratory take on rock’n’roll.
Talkie Talkie opens with a warm invitation, shouted in unison: “Hi!” as an intoxicating bassline and jangly riff takes over. Snatches of group chants perfectly pepper the aptly titled track – Hi, what else? – before Petale winkingly grinds to a halt: “Suck on that one, bitch!” “Talkie Talkie, Charlie Charlie” is a cinematic odyssey through ‘80s synth pop that would slot right into Black Mirror’s storied San Junipero episode; "1K” revels in the mystical guitar tones and guacharaca rhythm of cumbia (a genre that Ruiz grew up on); “Open the Bunny, Wasting My Time” conjures images of a film protagonist on a mission, its shimmering synths underpinning a lead guitar that struts with purpose. The quartet’s catalog has always been maximal and bombastic, but Talkie Talkie’s production quality takes it up a notch with added synth bass, arpeggiators and electronic drum programming.
Just like its encouraging opening words, Talkie Talkie is an open space for prioritizing excitement, creativity, and, above all, community. Or, as Petale neatly puts it, a place to “get euphoric.”
Having already ripped stages across the most coveted venues and festivals the globe over (such as Glastonbury and Coachella, as well as supporting Pavement, Belle & Sebastian, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard), Los Bitchos has confirmed a huge upcoming tour, including festival appearances at POP Montreal, Deershed, Boardmasters as well as headline dates across North America, the UK and Europe. Full live dates are listed below, including their biggest London headline show to date at O2 Forum on November 7, 2024. Support will come from labelmates Faux Real for the UK and EU dates. Tickets are available here.
Los Bitchos will also be embarking on a series of instore dates across the UK in early September, stopping off at Rough Trade in London and Liverpool.
LOS BITCHOS LIVE DATES:
05.17.24: About Pop, Stuttgart, DE
06.04.24: Aucard de Tours Festival, Tours, FR
07.13.24: BBK, Bilbao, ES
07.27.24: Deershed, Yorkshire, UK
08.02.24: Prestoso, Xedre, ES
08.11.24: Boardmasters, Newquay, UK
08.15.24: Parades De Coura, Parades, PT
08.17.24: Langs Akerselva, Oslo, NO
08.31.24: Nox Orae, La Tour de Peliz, CH
09.03.24: Rough Trade East in-store, London, UK
09.04.24: Rough Trade in-store, Liverpool, UK
09.14.24: Plissken Festival, Athens, GR
09.15.24: Poplar, Trento, IT
North America:
09.22.24: Washington, DC - Black Cat
09.23.24: Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
09.26.24: New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09.27.24: Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal Festival (at MDP sur De Gaspé w/ The Fleshtones)
09.29.24: Toronto, ON - Great Hall
10.01.24: Seattle, WA - Crocodile
10.03.24: Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
UK / Europe:
10.19.24: Future Days Festival, Birmingham, UK
10.20.24: Button Factory, Dublin, IE
10.22.24: The Grove, Newcastle, UK
10.23.24: Summerhall, Edinburgh, UK
10.24.24: QMU, Glasgow, UK
10.25.24: Irish Centre, Leeds, UK
10.26.24: O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
10.28.24: Junction 2, Cambridge, UK
10.29.24: The 1865, Southampton, UK
10.30.24: SWX, Bristol, UK
11.01.24: Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
11.02.24: Lido, Margate, UK
11.07.24: O2 Forum, London, UK
11.12.24: La Cigale, Paris, FR
11.13.24: Stereolux, Nantes, FR
11.14.24: Epicerie Moderne, Lyon, FR
11.15.24: Locomotiv, Bologna, IT
11.16.24: Mascotte, Zurich, CH
11.18.24: Strom, Munich, DE
11.19.24: Wuk, Vienna, AT
11.21.24: Palac Akropolis, Prague, CZ
11.22.24: Festsaal, Berlin, DE
11.23.24: Niebo, Warsaw, PL
11.25.24: Knust, Hamburg, DE
11.27.24: Debaser, Stockholm, SE
11.28.24: Cosmopolite, Oslo, NO
11.29.24: Pustervik, Gothenburg, SE
11.30.24: Small Vega, Copenhagen, DK
12.02.24: Burgerweeshuis, Deventer, NL
12.03.24: Gebaude 9, Cologne, DE
12.04.24: AB Box, Brussels, BE
12.06.24: Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL
12.07.24: Aeronef, Lille, FR
Talkie Talkie Tracklisting:
Hi!
Talkie Talkie, Charlie Charlie
Don’t Change
Kiki, You Complete Me
Road
1K!
La Bomba
Open The Bunny, Wasting My Time
It’s About Time
Naughty Little Clove
Tango & Twirl
Let Me Cook You
Photo credit: Tom Mitchell
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