Beloved Los Angeles trailblazers Mariachi El Bronx recently announced the February 13 release of their new album, Mariachi El Bronx IV via ATO.
The alter ego of punk rock heroes The Bronx, the band also dropped the LP’s lead single ‘Forgive or Forget’ and noted the track is “all about romanticising rock bottom.” Featuring Ray Suen on violin (Childish Gambino, Lorde) it first premiered on KCRW’s ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic‘ and is being supported at BBC Radio 6.
Today they share the official video for the track, directed by Blaze Gonzalez and edited by Dean Williams – watch ‘Forgive or Forget’ here. Pre-order Mariachi El Bronx IV here.
And after a 10-year hiatus, Mariachi El Bronx IV finds the band continuing to embody the same ethos that sparked their creation – pushing creative boundaries while honouring the rich Hispanic music and culture that have always surrounded them in Los Angeles. Throughout the LP’s 12 tracks, the band documents the stories of gamblers, former playboys, warriors, lovers – characters that became vessels for the specific pressures of being alive right now. Clashing emotions of profound loss and overwhelming love shaped the album’s themes. The songwriting “started as a battle between love and death but became a way to process all the chaos of the world,” says lead vocalist Matt Caughthran.
Known for their electrifying performances and signature charro suits, Mariachi El Bronx are bringing their powerful eight-piece sound back on the road. After a sold-out show earlier this month at LA’s infamous La Cita, the band next play shows in Santa Ana and San Diego (both are sold-out), before celebrating the album release in Tijuana, Mexico on February 14 (low ticket warning). Each show, presented by Liquid Death, is $4 in celebration of Mariachi El Bronx 4. They share, “These four shows represent a sacred rite of passage for every Southern Californian. And Tijuana is raw, beautiful, dangerous, and inspiring. I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to celebrate the new album.” Tickets are on sale now here and all dates are listed below.
What started in 2008 as The Bronx’s creative experiment became Mariachi El Bronx’s unlikely headlining career – a project rooted in their deep connection to the Hispanic music and culture of their Los Angeles home. Although seemingly different, the band doesn’t see the genres of punk and mariachi as mutually exclusive – they instead view them as spiritually entwined forces rooted in resilient storytelling. “Punk rock and mariachi music are very similar in soul,” says songwriter and lead vocalist Matt Caughthran. “It’s working class music. It’s real music.”
Returning after a decade away felt “joyous and familiar from the jump,” says guitarist Joby J. Ford. But recording the album proved more complex than expected. Within the year that he began writing lyrics, Caughthran contended with the deaths of several loved ones. Additionally, as they tracked at producer John Avila’s San Gabriel Valley studio – Avila has helmed all four of their mariachi records – the Eaton Canyon fires blazed across East LA. “We came out of the studio one night, the entire side of the hill was just on fire,” Ford recalls. While dealing with grief in his personal life and within his longtime home of Southern California, Caughthran was also experiencing an enormity of love as he got married that same year. The result is their most emotionally resonant work yet.
With three acclaimed albums to their name, the eight-piece has 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. They even lent their sound to TV, recording theme songs for Weeds (‘Little Boxes’) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (‘Aqua Something You Know Whatever’).
Despite nearly two decades of success Mariachi El Bronx still considers themselves lifelong students of the artform. That reverence carries over to their iconic charro suits, which often attract nearly as much attention as the music itself. The band has long turned to Casa del Mariachi in Boyle Heights – a shop honoured by the city as a historic landmark – where Jorge Tello (aka Mr. George) has been handcrafting traditional suits for more than 50 years. “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 is 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)
Mariachi El Bronx tour dates
December 6 – La Santa – Santa Ana, CA – SOLD OUT
January 17 – Corazón del Barrio – San Diego, CA – SOLD OUT
February 14 – Black Box – Tijuana, BC – LOW TICKET WARNING
Tracklisting
1. Forgive or Forget
2. Bandoleros
3. Songbird
4. All Things
5. El Dorado
6. Fools Gold
7. The Takers
8. RIP Romeo
9. Gambler’s Prayer
10. El Borracho
11. Tie You Down
12. Into The Afterlife
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