Mariachi El Bronx, the alter ego of Los Angeles punk heroes The Bronx, have today announced their first album since 2014.
Mariachi El Bronx IV will be released on 13 February via ATO, with the aim of continuing to push creative boundaries while honouring the rich Hispanic music and culture that have always surrounded them in LA.
It couldn’t be more different to the full-on hardcore sound which the band make as The Bronx, celebrating instead the Mexican culture they grew up with using traditional instruments as well as guitar bass and drums.
Today they released the first taste of the album – its opening track Forgive & Forget – which features Ray Suen (Childish Gambino, Lorde) on violin.
Amidst its galloping rhythm, vocalist Matt Caughthran muses about someone “who’s completely dishevelled and a little washed out, looking back on their life in a way that’s kind of hazy,” he says. “There’s a little bit of hope there, but it’s pretty dark.”
With three critically acclaimed albums to their name, the eight-piece have shared stages with the Foo Fighters and the Killers, performed everywhere from Letterman to NPR’s Tiny Desk, and lit up festivals from Coachella to Glastonbury.
Despite nearly two decades of success, Mariachi El Bronx still considers themselves lifelong students of the artform. That reverence carries over to their traditional handcrafted charro suits, which often attract nearly as much attention as the music itself.
“This band has always been about learning and exchanging culture through music and art,” says Caughthran. “That’s what it’s all about! Everything we do comes from the heart and soul.”
Mariachi El Bronx are Matt Caughthran (vocals), Joby J. Ford (guitar, vihuela, accordion), Jared Shavelson (drums), Keith Douglas (trumpet), Ray Suen (violin), Brad Magers (trumpet), Ken Horne (jarana), and Vincent Hidalgo (guitarrón).
Pre-order Mariachi El Bronx IV HERE.
