“Swirling dream of ecstasy” – that is howDJ Cheryl Waters of KEXP described the music of Brazilian sonic adventurers BIKE and she’s right on! Today we have the pleasure of presenting the video for the live performance session the band recently did at KEXP for Waters’ Midday Show. The session includes select tracks from their new ‘Arte Bruta’ album, released via Before Sunrise Records – specifically the album’s lead singles‘Filha do Vento’ and ‘O Torto Santo’, followed by a medley of ‘Olho D’água Grande’ and ‘Boca do Sol’ – both tracks that can be found on their previous ‘Quarto Templo’ album.
BIKE is special and they come bearing gifts – superb music that establishes the band as first-rate artists, on par with the creme de la creme of musicians on the world stage. Formed in 2015 by Julito Cavalcante (guitar and vocals), Diego Xavier (guitar and voice), Daniel Fumega (drums) and João Gouvea (bass), BIKE’s trajectory has been one of impressive journeys – both sonically and geographically.
BIKE’s Julito Cavalcante explains, “It was a huge achievement for us and very exciting to be able to record at the KEXP studios and even more exciting to have Cheryl Waters host our recording. It’s not easy to make a living from music in Brazil, it’s even more difficult to tour outside the country and being able to get to KEXP was glorious and we’re going to take that for the rest of our lives.”
‘Arte Bruta’ is BIKE’s fifth album and the first since the Covid pandemic broke. Led by producer and guitarist Guilherme Held, this recording exudes maturity and embraces a more Brazilian sound than past releases.
BIKE’s blazing musical path recently led to opening for The Brian Jonestown Massacre in their native São Paolo (and subsequent praise from Anton Newcombe). Earlier in 2023, the band also played dozens of shows at SXSW and Treefort Music Fest to eager listeners.
‘Arte Bruta’ represents the process of self-analysis this psych-rock, post-Tropicalia, noise rock collective has undergone in recent years, resulting in the most daring leap in the group’s career. A slow-burning mirror, this album took the band a long time to compose and record, its intricacy evident with every minute of listening pleasure.
[bandcamp width=400 height=472 album=2739246681 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]
‘Arte Bruta’ started with the title and the megalomaniac idea of releasing the album on vinyl with just two lengthy compositions. While the downtime of the pandemic grew this into something much greater, the title itself remained, alluding to the clash between artistic sophistication and the harshness of brutality. Seen by many as an artistic movement, especially because of its French nomenclature, “art brut”, the term designates creators who are not aware that their creation can be seen as art.
The band’s trademark psychedelia is still there, but the musical and lyrical references transcend the lysergic references of past albums. An Afro-Brazilian filter runs through ‘Arte Bruta’, along with echoes of international rock – 60s psychedelic rock, 70s tropicalism and post-tropicalism, German progressive rock and the rhythmic structure of krautrock.
BIKE released their debut album ‘1943’ in 2015, followed by‘Em Busca da Viagem Eterna’ (2017), ‘Their Shamanic Majesties’ Third Request’ (2018) and‘Quarto Templo’ (2019) – each bringing them critical acclaim. BIKE is also the only Brazilian band that has released music (‘Enigma Do Dente Falso’) in 2014) through Columbia Records imprint, 30th Century Records, founded by cult American producer Danger Mouse.
The ‘Arte Bruta’ album is out now and available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
Discover the psychedelic post-Tropicalia world of BIKE
Bandcamp | Store | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
