Raghava Lakshminarayana knows when the surf is up.
It’s a blessing for the psychedelic surf rock cult of Mexico City: Los Blenders are back from the dead.
The quartet from Coapa have just dropped the video for “Depresión Tropical,” a single off their upcoming album, Mazunte 2016 (out later this year). The song is a finely-tuned blend of pop, surf rock and psychedelia. The lyrics dive deep into mental health and drowning in endless waves of depression. The band claims that this is also a more mature sound, but any true fan of Los Blenders’ will instantly recognize their signature strain of surf rock à la CDMX.
The video, shot by Mexican filmmaker Emilio Guerrero, showcases the hidden gems strewn across the Mexican Pacific. For those unfamiliar to the Oaxacan coast, it’s basically paradise for obnoxious European tourists and, more importantly, stoner kids from around Mexico. There’s a few nifty Super 8 cuts, but it’s mostly a solid display of Oaxacan sand, skies and sea−perhaps the best backdrop for Los Blenders’ exploration of existential angst over jangly riffs.
I spoke to Los Blenders’ frontman, Alejandro Archundia, two years ago, on the verge of the release of Ha Sido, their previous full-length album. In the interview−now long gone because of a digital journalism purge (shout-out to Mass Appeal)−he spoke about how going to Puerto Escondido to do psychedelics definitively shaped the band. So it’s quite clear that nothing much has changed and going by their previous work, we can only expect an absolute monster of an album.
If you’re looking to get into Los Blenders (which you should definitely do before their new album comes out), here are a few things to note. It’s music perfectly tailored to the nine to five drones that secretly get stoned, to the city-dwellers staring up at the bleak night sky through smog and to the smelly kids that always mosh. But ultimately, one hit of Los Blenders will instantly transport anyone to Mazunte and swimming trunks and bright sun.
