The Never-ending Dance: The Sorcery of Los Bitchos’ ‘Talkie Talkie’
The band follow-up their 2022 debut.
Photo: Tom Mitchell
We’ve all felt magic. You watch a film at the cinema; going in, unsure what to expect, and coming out a changed human. It’s a classic that follows you til the rest of your DVD days. You pick up a video game that you sink hundreds, thousands of hours into. You open a book, read the first page, and embark on a journey everlasting.
That’s magic. The feeling of something you cannot escape, nor would you want to. For me, one of those moments was discovering Los Bitchos. I caught them opening for Franz Ferdinand in 2022. They were nothing short of incredible. Then I saw them in the same venue, opening for Australian psych-wizards King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It could have been a double billing.
The London-based group’s debut, 2022’s Let the Festivities Begin! quickly became a favourite of mine; endlessly bingeable Southern American-inflected funk-rock tunes that sound fresh to this day. Now the all-female four-piece are back with their follow-up, Talkie Talkie, and it’s a beaut.
Talkie Talkie – ironically named as besides a few throwaway lines of profane dialogue, it ‘s all rhythm section – opens with Hi!. A funky, hopeful piece of Cumbia-fuelled funk-rock, it’s the perfect introduction for those uninitiated in the non-stop party atmosphere of Los Bitchos’ discography.
Talkie Talkie, Charlie Charlie, meanwhile, is a standout tune of 2024, somehow encapsulating the summer sound of 1980s LA and modern-day beach havens with luscious guitar and sparkling synth. It’s endlessly catchy and ridiculously bingeworthy. Make no mistake, this is Los Bitchos’ Lourdes water; it’ll get everyone up on their feet.
Whether it’s the pop-rock thunder of Don’t Change, blinding 80s neon wonderland, Kiki, You Complete Me or western frontier exploration of Road, Talkie Talkie demonstrates that even within the dance-rock genre, Los Bitchos throw the rulebook out the window, venturing into unknown territory with Oppenheimer levels of success.
La Bomba, lead single from the record, is a seductive tune; bound to forge part of the group’s setlist going forward. Other highlights from the group’s sophomore release include Naughty Little Clove and siesta-worthy finale, Let Me Cook You.
The Times perhaps summed the band up best when they called Los Bitchos ‘the band of the moment’. With an extensive tour in the diary and a worthy follow-up to Let the Festivities Begin! under their belts, this Bacchanalian pop party powerhouse look poised to conquer the industry. Talke Talkie is an exceptional slice of multi-layered cake, combining the best of cumbia, psych, American rock and good old-fashioned pop. Girls, don’t change.
Talkie Talk is out now via City Slang. Get yourself a copy of the album here.