BALTHVS – Flesh and Soul

BALTHVS is a pretty new psychedelic band (debuting in 2019) and hailing from Bogota, Colombia. They have, with their mostly instrumental reverby minor guitar licks, grooving bass, and samba-esque drumming, been somewhat criticized by listeners for being a Khurangbin ripoff. Listening to their latest EP, Flesh and Soul, I’d say the comparison is definitely there, but after doing a little digging, I discovered that the members of BALTHVS have never denied it, citing Khurangbin as an influence. Guitar music is never 100 percent original nowadays anyways.

The psychedelic instrumental rock vibes have been more and more popular on social media, especially during COVID, so it makes sense that we are seeing a rise of these types of bands. I’d throw a project like Glass Beams on there as well. BALTHVS seem to have more of a latin sound on songs like “Year of the Snake,” and are great at cultivating that airy, mellow vibe you see through kaleidoscopic, rose-tinted glasses on the only vocal track “Mood Swing (Principles of Rhythm).” Flesh and Soul feels and seems like some of the leftover tracks that didn’t make the cut onto 2024’s Harvest. Still, I can picture that drugs flowing freely as they play this year’s Montreal Jazz Fest.