Worship at the fuzz garage altar of Garotas Suecas
23 September, 2010If you like your music fuzzy, catchy, short and raw you will enjoy Garotas Suecas. I write this despite the fact they sing in Portuguese. Whatever language you speak great garage punk prevails. When music is at its most primal the message is in the delivery, not the words. There is a reason why “Psycho” by The Sonics is heralded as a garage anthem, and it’s not to do with its intricate wordplay.
It’s easy to see why people are getting excited about Garotas Suecas. They have been compared to Os Mutantes because they are from Sao Paulo and have that lo-fi aesthetic, but that’s where the comparison ends. This is a band who share more similarities with the first Kings of Leon album Youth and Young Manhood or the soul and funk of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings or Lee Fields. Whereas Os Mutantes took influence from The Beatles, concrete poetry and 60s garage pop, Garotas Suecas take from The Hives, Otis Redding and the classic organ sound of ? and the Mysterians.
However you look at it, this is a band who have found a formulat that works, producing their own brand of infectious, rollicking pop music.
In the short couple of years they’ve been together they’ve produced Dificil de Domar, their first record in 2008, Condinome Dinamite, an EP released earlier in 2010, and now have their second LP awaiting release. Escaldante Banda was originally scheduled for release on September 7 from American Dust Records. It is still only available for pre-order but should have its release any day now.
More info:
Garotas Suecas Myspace Page
Official Garotas Suecas Page
American Dust Records
Follow Sounds and Colours: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mixcloud / Soundcloud / Bandcamp
Subscribe to the Sounds and Colours Newsletter for regular updates, news and competitions bringing the best of Latin American culture direct to your Inbox.