Artist: Los Chicos
Album: Rockpile of Shit
Label:  Dirty Water Records and Folc Records
Released: June 2016

Madrid garage party rock ‘n rollers Los Chicos have been together for 15 years and show no sign of slowing down on their latest album, Rockpile of Shit, a joint release on Dirty Water Records and Folc Records. The band serves up a supercharged concoction of garage rock mixed with a splash of soul, rhythm & blues, and country. They’ve been described as “the Fleshtones on sangria,” but you can also hear influences like the Pogues and Chuck Berry. They’ve played with bands like the Sonics, Mudhoney, Southern Culture on the Skids, the Meanies, Roy Loney, and countless others.

The group is known for their high octane, beer soaked, anything could happen style of live performances, especially from frontman Rafa Suñén. In 2012 they broke the stage at Boogie Festival after inviting more than 60 members of the audience up to dance with them. Also in the group are twin guitarists Gerardo and Antonio Urchaga, bassist Guillermo Casanova and drummer Ral García, who replaced the former Chicos rhythm section of Manu and Piña. Rockpile of Shit is the band’s sixth album since their first 7-inch Shake, Shake in 2002 on Producciones Esporadicas, along with two other EP’s and a compilation.

Most of the tracks are straight up rock and roll ditties like the two openers, ‘A Kingdom Of Coolness’ and ‘Rockanrolla,’ but flavours of country can be found on tracks like ‘Miami Beach’ and ‘Night Ride,’ with blues on ‘I Know I Don’t Know,’ which ends with duelling backing vocals. The album has 14 tracks and as each one clocks in at around two minutes, you’ll be able to crack a few beers and listen to it a handful of times.

 

-Laurie Jane