London-based, pan-continental female instrumental four-piece Los Bitchos yesterday shared the video to their latest single ‘Pista (Fresh Start)’. We caught up with them recently to discuss all things Bitchos…
Hey guys, thanks for taking some time out to talk with us! Let’s start with the obvious; where does the name come from?
Serra – It was a completely random thought! I knew we needed a name that wasn’t totally serious, but embodied the vibe of the type of music we wanted to make.
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How did you come to be making this kind of music, it’s unusual for our times to say the least!
Serra – We were inspired by this fantastic compilation of Peruvian Cumbia called The Roots of Chicha, specifically the track ‘A Patricia’ by Los Destellos. It was such a captivating track and sparsity of the vocal lines was so refreshing as it let the guitar lines stand out more than usual and become the focal point of the song. We just thought we would give it a try and see what happens, and I can honestly say that the process of writing our first songs was so much fun. Didn’t have to worry about lyrics or vocal melodies fitting into the music, and we could afford to be more experimental with the production and guitar melodies. Super happy that we took that plunge.
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What are who then are your biggest influences?
Los Destellos/ Roots of Chicha Compilations/ Cumbia, Turkish Psych, Stock Aitken and Waterman / Any new wave 80’s production, Van Halen, Swedish pop-Abba/Roxette/Ace of Base, Punk
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A real mixed bag, and rightly so! Who writes the music in the band? Is there a formula for how an idea goes on to become a song or is it more haphazard?
Serra – Three are so many different avenues to writing a Bitchos song, which is what I love the most about it. Sometimes I’ll be really inspired by a piece of music I’ve heard, and I’ll sit down and strive to emulate a similar vibe or feel of the song. It can start with something as simple as the drum beat, chord progression or even just a melody lick and I can springboard the song from there. Other times I’ll be in my kitchen (my happy place) and something will just randomly come to me. I’ll leave the food on the hob, quickly get the idea down, then come back and finish cooking. I’m also very lucky to be in a band with an amazing bunch of women who will send me little drum beats or random little jingle ideas which have culminated in some of my favourite songs ever like Lindsay Goes to Mykonos and Tropico. I find their ideas so inspiring and so refreshing. Whichever way it happens, the songs ultimately come alive when we are all in the studio together, putting our own touches and extra layers of ideas on them, it always ends up being something really special and slightly deranged.
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Would love to be a fly on the wall when you’re writing, sounds fascinating! So is there any equipment then that is quintessential to the Los Bitchos sound?
Nic – YES! The bongos, cowbell, and woodblock on the kit are hard to imagine doing without! I broke both bongo skins at a show in Belgium (sorry to that venue… Apparently they were very old and it was fine) and had to improvise with the rack tom but it just felt so wrong!
Serra – For me it’s the chorus pedal. I’m simply obsessed with how it makes me feel, there’s always an edge of slight sadness and depth it adds to any guitar line. Combining it with a Boss, Sd-1 Super Overdrive pedal is pure magic.
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We’ve all been through a weird time, but bands more than most! How does it feel to be playing live again?
Nic – Playing live again has felt so, so good. It was actually quite overwhelming the first few festivals, we just couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces and I was just screaming and yelling in jokes at the others – I’ll probably keep this up to be honest.
Agustina – It’s amazing, playing live is such a fun thing to do, can’t wait for 2022!!
Josefine – Honestly, it couldn’t feel better! Being on stage again after a long involuntary break is excellent, but what has really stepped it up for me is that you can feel the complete mutual happiness from the audience who are also so pumped to be back seeing live music – a total win win in vibes.
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And so what are your plans for 2022?
Nic – 2022… Literally we plan to ‘let the festivities begin!’ as much touring as we can squeeze in, working on new songs as well. Up until this year we have all been working full time jobs as well as doing the band so it’s really exciting to be able to dedicate ourselves wholly to Los Bitchos.
Agustina – To have the best time and tour as much as we can!!
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Sounds like a good idea! What’s next, can you tell us about any releases or what we can expect?
We have the 3rd single from our debut album coming out this month, ‘Pista – Fresh Start’ along with a video which is part 3 of the video trilogy we’ve made with our friend Tom Mitchell. Then the album is out on Feb 4th, and we go on tour in the UK on 15th Feb.
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And finally, sum up your sound in three words?
Nic – Fun, fabulous, festivities!
Agustina – Western, Sims, Margaritas.
Serra – Sassy, acid, jingles.
Josefine – Deranged, sunny, extravaganza
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