Musical ensemble, band, quartet, fun-loving gals. Each of these terms could be used to accurately describe Los Bitchos. However, ‘project’ (quite an underrated term in music) feels more fitting for this endeavour by Serra Petale, Agustina Ruíz, Josefine Jonsson and Nic Crawshaw, who combine their international musical tastes and love of partying in every composition. Hip-swaying rhythms and good humour are non-negotiables for a Los Bitchos tune; it’s pan-continental instrumental dance music designed for good times, which makes a lot of sense when I learn how the founding members sparked up their friendship. ‘We actually became close friends at a party,’ Ruíz recalls. ‘Serra fell in a pond, then that was it’. Petale adds: ‘Yeah I think Agustina was like, “God, she needs help. I'll just sit with her.”’

Seven years later, nights out have moved from ‘seven days a week’ down to one or two, ‘but now I want to make them damn good parties,’ insists Petale. What constitutes a good Los Bitchos party, you may ask? ‘It needs to be somewhere hot,’ Jonsson starts off. ‘All of our friends will be there and 80s, 90s and early 2000s music will play. Danceable, cheesy songs,’ adds Ruíz. ‘Yeah, fun music, not cool. With tequila and Margaritas,’ Jonsson elaborates. ‘It needs to be a spontaneous night where you end up somewhere you’re not expecting,’ says Crawshaw. ‘And the food is good. I’m thinking some pizza at like 10pm,’ concludes Petale. 

While that sounds like a perfectly fun evening, seeing Los Bitchos live is a party in and of itself. There’s something about their unique blend of foot-stomping cumbia, Turkish psych and surf disco that makes a crowd go wild. ‘Sometimes people at our shows actually make up their own little dances,’ says Crawshaw. ‘There was a show we did on the King Gizzard [& The Lizard Wizard] tour where the crowd was doing something in unison and it looked amazing. So feel free to do your own dance. We love that.’ 

The band’s 2022 album was aptly called Let The Festivities Begin!, produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos. Its recently released follow up, Talkie Talkie (Los Bitchos’ made-up nightclub), is the next chapter in this fictional night out. Songs like ‘Kiki, You Complete Me’ and ‘1K!’ are just some of the climactic moments, the music video for the latter being an animated videogame car race. But while the essence of their sophomore album remains similar to the first, some exciting new sonic flavours and references seep in, not to mention a new producer in the shape of Oli Barton-Wood who has worked with Wet Leg and Nilüfer Yanya.

‘Any producer is going to bring something different because of their unique recording techniques,’ says Petale. ‘Oli was really creative with what he wanted to bring out in the songs. He’s also a great engineer, so he knew specifically how to place mics and did a lot of dual processing with guitars, like he’d record two guitar amps at the same time and blend those which I thought was really great.’

Recorded over two weeks in November last year, working at a speed of roughly one track per day, Los Bitchos didn’t give themselves time to be bogged down by any sophomore album pressures. ‘We try not to go down that road mentally,’ explains Crawshaw. ‘It was really just about making an album that we all felt really proud of and that was a level up from the first record.’

This attitude is evident from the minute the album’s opening track ‘Hi!’ commences and we’re told to ‘suck on that one, bitch’ in one of Los Bitchos’ signature one-liners. ‘There was never any question really that that was going to be the first song,’ insists Crawshaw. Petale continues: ‘It’s like, here it is, album number two. Suck on that one, bitch!’ 

On ‘Hi!’, rallying screams and psychedelic guitar reverb bring us into the sonic universe of the record, which is accompanied by a soft-focus aesthetic Los Bitchos borrowed from American soap operas like Days Of Our Lives and The Young And The Restless (‘it’s been running for like 50 years. You must watch it!’ Petale insists). 

This visual language is consistent from the album’s artwork to the creative direction of every music video. ‘We’ve got no lyrics, really, so you’ve got to think of something else that [the music] kind of embodies,’ explains Petale. Another signature aesthetic choice made by the band, whether intentional or not, is a strong block fringe. Every member of the band rocks one and it’s come to be a bit of a uniform. ‘People are free to change their hairstyle if they want,’ says Jonsson defensively, but Crawshaw disagrees: ‘No. I think we’re locked in now. We always talk about having a fringe-cutting station at our merch table, or like little extension fringes. I don’t know if there’s a demand.’ Petale thinks so: ‘You could have the Agustina fringe, the Serra fringe; two fringes for one!’ 

Keep your eyes peeled for those at their upcoming Edinburgh and Glasgow gigs, taking place midway through a world tour this autumn. For one night only, Summerhall’s Dissection Room and University Of Glasgow’s Queen Margaret Union will become the Talkie Talkie nightclub as more of the new album is brought to life on stage. 

‘If you listen to the record, that’s great, but you’re gonna get something a little bit different live. I think we really welcome and embrace that,’ says Petale. ‘We’ve been rehearsing and working out what we really need to keep in and what is less important for the live show. It’s an interesting process but I think it’s sounding good,’ adds Crawshaw. 

There’s an added air of excitement around playing to their Scottish fans, not least because of their close relationship with Alex Kapranos, but also because Petale’s part Scottish herself. ‘We actually love [Scotland],’ insists Ruíz. ‘And we’re really not just saying it, like in that episode of The Simpsons.’ 

Los Bitchos will tour the UK in October and November 2024; Talkie Talkie is out now on City Slang.