Today we turn our attention to a band from a region that is rather underrepresented in the blogosphere (at least outside of their own country) – BIKE may hail from Brazil, but their sound and message is universal. Music unites and music heals. Music is also the guiding soundtrack for your own personal trip through this life. We are pleased to introduce our readers to the latest musical offering from these psychedelic rock experimenters – previewing their new album‘Arte Bruta’ (out on May 5 via Quadrado Mágico Records andBefore Sunrise Records) is the stellar single‘O Torto Santo‘.
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Call it psych-rock, post-Tropicalia or noise rock – whatever you call it, it’s great. The band is relatively new, having pulled together on this shared mission as music ambassadors in 2015. BIKE is made up of Julito Cavalcante (guitar and vocals), Diego Xavier (guitar and voice), Daniel Fumega (drums) and João Gouvea (bass). This is a fabulous band with positive, reflective and stimulating music. In particular, on this track, they seem very much to Brazil (and the world) what Tame Impala is to Australia. The light of the sun is here with slight strobes of dark trippiness caught between the trance-like guitar riffs. Just wait until the Beatles-esque outro!
While the band tout ‘Arte Bruta’ as the most daring in their music career, we can certainly say this is the case with this lead track. ‘O Torto Santo’ translates as ‘The Crooked Sacred’, with lyrics reading as follows: Two souls live in my breast / Attentive and strong on a narrow path / Two souls live in my breast /I climb the mountain under the effect /Two souls sing in my bed / The wind is luck, on the way / I accept / Two souls sing in my bed / On top of the mountain the air is thin
Frontman Julito Cavalcante says, “The lyrics for this song were inspired by self-analysis, where I understood that everything has two sides and that we have to be aware of what happens around us, strong enough to face difficulties and take advantage of every opportunity that life gives us. Both ‘O Torto Santo’ and this album move forward from our sound on previous albums. We managed to mix all the coolest things we had already done with new references and older ones that have not yet appeared on other albums. We also added new elements and handcrafted instruments in the songs. The idea was to sound artistic and raw at the same time.”
The band has made a strong impression on those who have heard their music – either through their previous releases or coming out to see their live shows. In fact, BIKE is 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. 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). These releases have brought them critical acclaim.
To date, BIKE has played more than 400 shows in 16 Brazilian states, the venues ranging from larger stages to underground houses and festivals. They’ve also shared the stage with The Black Angels and Os Mutantes. The band also did three extensive international tours through France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Scotland and Wales and has performed at Primavera Sound (Spain), Nox Orae (Switzerland), MIL Lisbon (Portugal) and The Great Escape (England).
On March 1, ‘O Torto Santo’ will be available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The ‘Arte Bruta’ album (out on May 5) can already be pre-ordered at https://bikeoficial.bandcamp.com/album/arte-bruta. Heads up to American music lovers and festival goers – the band will be performing at this year’s SXSW Festival (March 13~18) and Treefort Music Fest (March 24-26).
ALBUM CREDITS
Recorded by Gustavo Mendes & Guilherme Held
Recorded at Estúdio Held in São Paulo
Mixed by Guilherme Held
Mastered by Fernando Sanches at Estúdio El Rocha
Produced by Guilherme Held
Lyrics by Julito Cavalcante
Songs by BIKE, except ‘Arcoverde” and ‘Além-Céu’ by Guilherme Held and “Cedro” and ‘Yaripo’ by Guilherme Held and BIKE
Julito Cavalcante – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, garabiroba and percussion
Diego Xavier – vocals, electric guitar and acoustic guitar
Daniel Fumega – drums and percussions
João Gôuvea – bass, synthesizers and harmonium
Guilherme Held – electric guitar on Cedro
Cover artwork and design by Juli Ribeiro
Take a wild ride with Brazil’s superb BIKE
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