the budos band

With more horn than an ivory merchant the Staten Islanders bulk up their mesmeric grooves with slabs of sheer guitar power, sending this one soaring for the mountain tops like the smooooooth amalgam of a latin-infused psychedelic Western.

Titled simply 'VII', this album sees them doing what they do best: laying down hypnotic, horn-spiked grooves that menace and mesmerize in equal measure. Produced by Budos guitarist, Tom Brenneck, with Simon Guzmán engineering, 'VII' features 11 tightly constructed new tracks that draw on the group’s wide range of influences, sounding like only the Budos can. It’s music for getting down, for night-time drives, and for alternate headspaces — a beguiling mix of mystery and rhythm that stands with the formidable work they’ve released in their two decades of recording.

'VII' was recorded in California and serves as the Budos Band’s first full-length album on Diamond West, the independent label founded in 2023 by Tankel and Brenneck. It’s also the group’s first album to include instrumental contributions from percussionist, Rich Tarrana, who previously played in the Frightnrs.

All told, it succeeds in opening up some new sonic spaces while staying tethered to the intuitive, unique musicality that made them such a sensation from the jump.