Released on Mixto Records, Harvest was composed by all three band members, Balthazar Aguirre, Johanna Mercuriana, and Santiago Lizcano. It's a reflection of where the band is currently. After 4 years of the industry grind, they have seen massive growth in the digital sphere with over 15 million streams.
“Harvest is a time of abundance, where our growth has allowed us to become full-time professional musicians. More than money or things, having art be your full-time occupation feels like the greatest of blessings and a huge responsibility,” says BALTHVS.
The trio spent a month at a tropical summer house in La Mesa, Colombia to record. As the band recalls, “More than a studio we wanted to be inspired by nature. So we brought our recording equipment there and started working.”
The tropical landscape served as more than just a backdrop, it was the wellspring of inspiration for BALTHVS. Unlike their previous albums, where Balthazar Aguirre took the lead in recording, composing, producing, and arranging, the music emerged as a collective effort. All three contributed equally to the creation of every song. Thinking back on the recording process, BALTHVS says, “It’s very hot in La Mesa, and the only air conditioning we had was in the recording room in order to protect the gear from overheating. It was literally making music in your underwear drenched in sweat, you can’t get more intimate than that with your bandmates.”
Harvest features vocals that harmonize like instruments, weaving lyrical poetry into a tranquil groove. Most evident in songs like “Like Coconut Water,” an effervescent song that captures the essence of a tropical escape. “Anouk” is a gorgeous groove that is dedicated to the house cat at La Mesa, the sphinx-like guardian who set watch during the recording sessions. “Mango Season” a laid back, funky and soulful instrumental groove that is perfect for relaxing, skateboarding and looking at clouds.
“Aguacero” is one of the few compositions with lyrics and sung in Spanish by bassist, vocalist Johanna Mercuriana; it was inspired by 4 days of non-stop rain, truly influenced by their surroundings – that heat, humidity and abundance of water, both in a physical and emotional sense. “Lovin’” a ballad about such a fun and wonderful aspect to life and “Sun & Moon” is 1 of 2 songs that were not written in La Mesa, however after their Fall 2023 Tour, energized by electronic music, BALTHVS comments, “we wanted to try and replicate a dancing groovy tune in our own style.”
Harvest is a sonic testament to the last four years of artistic and personal growth and building a musical family across borders. The band comments, “It summarizes a beautiful stage of our life and career as friends and musicians,” they continue, “Especially, we would like to thank our manager, Oz McGuire and the team at Mixto for manifesting our music on vinyl and for helping with the live shows. We found a family thousands of miles away. But mostly we gotta thank all the people who listened to our music, bought a record and/or came to one of the shows. You make it happen and it means the world, thank you for this Harvest.” Harvest is set to be released on July 19th everywhere you stream music. Pre-Save Here.
Harvest Tour USA 2024:
Aug 05 - Aspen, CO @ Belly Up [Tickets]
Aug 07 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Twilight Concert Series [Tickets]
Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival [Tickets]
Aug 11 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater [Tickets]
Aug 12 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar [Tickets]
Aug 13 - Tuscon, AZ @ 191 Toole [Tickets]
Aug 14 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf [Tickets]
Aug 16 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall [Tickets]
Aug 17 - St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House [Tickets]
Aug 18 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar [Tickets]
Aug 20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi [Tickets]
Aug 21 - Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley [Tickets]
Aug 23 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club [Tickets]
Aug 24 - Madison, WI @ Orton Park Festival
Aug 25 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle [Tickets]
Aug 27 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis [Tickets]
Aug 28 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl [Tickets]
Sep 01 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival [Tickets]
Oct. 7 & Oct. 12 - Austin, TX @ ACL Music Festival [Tickets]
About:
BALTHVS is a Colombian psychedelic funk trio formed in 2020. Best known for their eclectic style, which fuses elements of Middle Eastern Music, Disco, House, Funk, Psychedelia, Indie, Dub Reggae, Surf Rock and Cumbia into a cohesive whole. The band is notable for their energetic shows, live improvisation and prolific output. Since their formation, the band has released over 28 singles and 3 full length albums, accumulating over 7.1 million streams worldwide. With 3 US Tours under their belt and having played the biggest music festival in Colombia (Rock al Parque), the band is eager to make more music and share their sonic voyage with the world.BALTHVS, the Bogota, Colombia based psychedelic funk trio was formed in the countryside while the group waited out the 2020 pandemic. The band was escaping the city during uncertain times and according to Balthazar Aguirre, “we wanted the music to meld with the peaceful environment surrounding us at that moment.” Alongside Aguirre (guitar, vocals), the band consists of Johanna Mercuriana (bass, vocals) and Santiago Lizcano (drums, vocals).
Their genre-defying sound blends cumbia, surf rock, funk, and Turkish musical influences. The music is comprised of lyrics in English, Spanish and plenty of instrumentals that meld mysticism and psychedelics. “Colombia is very psychedelic, there’s plenty of availability and a lot of traditional medicine involving entheogens and plant medicine around.” The result is a captivating sonic tapestry that transcends conventional boundaries, captivating listeners with its multifaceted influences.
Known for their dynamic and electrifying live performances, BALTHVS has become synonymous with energetic shows and captivating improvisations. Since their inception, the band has embarked on a prolific creative journey, releasing an impressive catalog featuring over 34 singles and 3 full-length albums. Their music has resonated globally, amassing over 6.8 million streams worldwide, establishing BALTHVS as a formidable presence in the music industry.
While BALTHVS has conquered their home turf, gracing the stage at Colombia’s largest music festival, Rock al Parque, they have also taken their infectious sound to international audiences. With three performances at SXSW in Austin, TX, a successful U.S. tour, and a triumphant inaugural European tour in 2024, the band is poised for even greater heights with a new full-length LP set to release on Mixto Records in the fall. Eager to continue their sonic exploration, BALTHVS is set to enchant audiences worldwide with their innovative and boundary-pushing approach to music.
BALTHVS is:
Balthazar Aguirre (Guitar, Vocals)
Johanna Mercuriana (Bass, Vocals)
Santiago Lizcano (Drums, Vocals)
Pronunciation:
English: bôl + thŭs
Spanish: Bal + tus
Psychedelic, Adj:
From Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “mind, soul”) + δῆλος (dêlos, “manifest, visible”) + -ic.
Coined by English psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in 1956 in a letter to Aldous Huxley.
"BALTHVS: An Evolving Concept"
The Psychedelic Experience is clearly present but it has mutated into another form: Psychedelic is external, it doesn't come from within, watching a kaleidoscopic 4d film inside your mind, such experiences leave lessons and temporary states of transcendence. Far too many don't go beyond this temporary chemical high, some become forever lost in the trip.
"All Music is Psychedelic"
It generates trance and induces a plethora of emotions: Harmony, Melody and Rhythm create mood, they are definite v i b e changers. Rarely does it divide men from one another , more than anything it unites.
"Imagination Realizes What it Invents"
We are only left with the power of imagination and will to transmute that which lies inside, burdensome thoughts, into alchemical reality. To transmute the psychedelic experience into the Cosmic, in the realm of the Manifest. Our pretensions are only to alleviate the daily toll the mind, the body and spirit take amidst our modern, uncertain world, if only a little bit. Music is medicine, Music is an Escape.
'Chill Out Bro'
If there's just a tiny less bit of anger or anxiety because of this work, the task is done, the purpose is fullfilled, there is no other intention beyond this, it is a means to an end.
If I meditate my family meditates
If I meditate my village meditates
If i meditate the world meditates
If I meditate God meditates
