Album review: Tijuana Cartel give a delectable dose of hazily psychedelic escapism on new album ‘Acid Pony’ – out this Friday

Australian electro-dance group Tijuana Cartel are preparing for the release of their highly-anticipated new album ‘Acid Pony’ this Friday, 4 June. The captivating record comprises a perfectly eclectic assemblage of seven tracks, produced by Gold Coast band members Carey O’Sullivan and Paul George. Featuring a myriad of mind-altering musical elements ‘Acid Pony’ defines the group’s ability to deliver the richest of sounds by combining earthy percussion (with help from Sheila Finke), brass (added by Joshua Sinclair and Eamon Dilworth), eastern-style string sounds and exuberant sampling. The group also have a massive national tour lined up from June – October.

Singles from the album have already been embraced worldwide by resident taste-makers at Clash Magazine (UK), Indie Shuffle (ZAF), This Song Is Sick (USA), Pilerats and Acid Stag. Much love has also been forthcoming from Australian radio including triple j, triple j Unearthed, Double J, 3RRR and 4ZZZ. ‘Acid Pony’ is the perfect lockdown antidote, in fact it was curated with a lot of post-lockdown dancing in mind.  

Opening track ‘Sufi’ is the ultimate magic carpet ride – indulgent, richly instrumental and abundant with atmospheric, reverberated riffs. The electronic textures and gentle acoustic guitars of ‘Minimal Stuffing’ continue the beautifully vivid journey.

Track three ‘Strandzha’ is a more artistic, explorative piece with chanting vocals, hypnotising percussion and lucid guitar work. A hint of pop comes out to play in track four, ‘Tommy Franklin’, a highly swayable blend of dreamy electro and pulsing, layered instrumentation. The transition to fifth track ‘Over and Over’ is at first seamless, with Paul George’s accompanying, low-key vocals driving a slight shift into 80s alternative dance.

Penultimate song, the bass-laden ‘Ishkur’, is instrumentally climactic and with its runaway train rhythm runs harmoniously into the elements of final track ‘Middle Something’. The closer is a high energy mix to behold, with a rise and fall of beats and guitars worthy of a rapturous finale.    

To support the release, Tijuana Cartel will be embarking on a massive national 25-date tour (dates below) of both capital cities and regional towns. Previous tours have seen the group perform internationally and at prominent festivals including Falls Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Subsonic Music Festival and Nannup Music Festival.

‘Acid Pony’ will be available across streaming platforms worldwide on Friday, June 4

TIJUANA CARTEL
‘ACID PONY’ TOUR
All tickets on sale via tijuanacartel.com

SAT JUN 12 | THE STABLES BY WILD HORSES, MELBOURNE VIC
SAT JUN 19 | BYRON BAY MUSIC FESTIVAL, BYRON BAY NSW
FRI JUL 2 | THE ZOO, BRISBANE QLD
SAT JUL 3 | MIAMI MARKETTA, GOLD COAST QLD
FRI JUL 9 | THE BASEMENT, CANBERRA ACT
SAT JUL 10 | MARLIN HOTEL, ULLADULLA NSW
SUN JUL 11 | LA LA LA’S, WOOLLONGONG NSW
SAT JUL 17 | MARY’S UNDERGROUND, SYDNEY NSW
SUN JUL 18 | THE RHYTHM HUT, GOSFORD NSW
SAT JUL 31 | ROOTBOUND FESTIVAL, RAVENSHOE QLD
SUN AUG 1 | PORT DOUGLAS YACHT CLUB, PORT DOUGLAS QLD
FRI AUG 6 | EARP DISTILLERY, NEWCASTLE NSW
SAT AUG 7 | NARABEEN RSL, NSW
THU AUG 12 | SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE VIC
FRI AUG 13 | THE HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC
SAT AUG 14 | THE BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLEMAINE VIC
SUN AUG 15 | THE BARWON CLUB, GEELONG VIC
SAT AUG 21 | GURU LIFE, MAROOCHYDORE QLD
SAT AUG 28 | FEDERAL HOTEL, BELLINGEN NSW
FRI SEPT 17 | SETTLERS TAVERN, MARGARET RIVER WA
SAT SEPT 18 | FREO SOCIAL, FREMANTLE WA
SUN SEPT 19 | INDIAN OCEAN HOTEL, SCARBOROUGH WA
SAT OCT 2 | THE ROEY, BROOME WA
FRI OCT 8 | ROYAL OAK, LAUNCESTON TAS
SAT OCT 9 | UNI BAR, HOBART TAS

* More dates to be announced