Get ready! Disturbios has just released their debut disc, Disturbios, on Midnight Cruiser Records. But first, for those not yet familiar with the act in question, a bit o’ background.
Disturbios
Disturbios an experimental American act referred to in their press as “an art rock & roll band from Rocio and Matt Verta-Ray (Madder Rose, Speedball Baby, and Heavy Trash).” Rocio has a background in philosophy and film. She began her career in music “playing Farfisa organ in Spanish surf bands. Matt has been playing guitar for years “since the New York '80s inspired by everything from Sun Records artists to Link Wray.
Signature sound
Disturbios’ signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including (but not necessarily limited to) alternative, art rock, pop, punk, surf and old school rock and roll. Rocio explains a bit about their creative process:
"[T]he writing process is enmeshed with the sound making, which is to say that recording, writing and performing are all on a continuum, all elements of the same whole. This extremely organic approach lets the important stuff kind of bubble up to the surface and announce to us what its shape should be."
Disturbios
Disturbios is a 10-track platter. The work is a self-styled “electroshock fever dream.” The music is also described as “a marriage of blissed out, raunchy, and angular vintage rock & roll aesthetics with the pitiless tyranny of robotics gone wrong.” Once one hears it, that becomes quite clear.
Track by Track
The album opens on “Rough Rider.” It;s a fun track and an effective intro to the act for any new listeners. Still, it merely foreshadows what is to come.
The second selection is the single “Surf Gnossienne.” It’s a clever combo of musical elements from surf rock, and world music among other genres. It’s a unique, interesting instrumental. What might make it especially interesting is the fact that the dynamic duo seems to take additional inspiration from famous French composer Erik Satie’s “Gnossienne” pieces; hence, the title.) Undoubtedly, the tuneful twosome believes the composer’s work is for more than old war documentaries. The combo is oddly almost haunting yet somehow still nigh-dreamy.
The next number is “Jesus I Was Evil.” It’s a tad sacrilegious and features an intentionally childlike chorus. Anyone forced to wend their way through Catholic School during their formative years will love this one. Is it a rollicking reflection on an ex-school girl’s personal past? It doesn’t really matter; it works.
The lead single “Starr” follows here. It’s an ethereal, trippy track about love, adoration, and desperation. The song features a protagonist who is pretty much a prisoner on a distant planet. It’s sci-fi all the way if the video is any additional indication.
“Little Bird Got Swallowed” is reminiscent of some early 1960s tracks. It retro-rocks and certainly must work quite well as a live number.
“See Thru Rhonda” contains elements that are reminiscent of The Residents and yet the female vocals and current touches provide a perfect foil between the present and past.The single “Summer Loves” takes us in a slightly different, but warm and welcoming direction with a change in production and effects. It’s a stand out track that speaks to the act’s diversity. The pretty yet sad ballad is highlighted by the vocals of Brit singer Gemma Ray.
“Big Boss Man” has a touch of blues thrown in with their still solid signature sound. Also included here is “I Love You.” It’s a simple and yet effective song with no unnecessary nonsense. The closing cut is “Dear Boy (Love Girl)” on which the act demonstrates one more time what they can do.
Overall…
Overall, this album is an exceptional audio offering of unique compositions. The performing pair’s particular signature sound is a musical mash up of an assortment of influences and sources of inspiration. They musically meld the nearly foreign with the frequently familiar to create tuneful tracks about love, longing, revenge, and sorrow. It is truly an enjoyable, unforgettable ride, So check out Disturbios’s Disturbios and enjoy “Summer Loves”.
(Images courtesy of Disturbios)