Album Review: BALTHVS Returns With An Expanded Sound on Their Fifth Studio Album ‘Manifest’
When I think of the Colombian psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS, I picture music that fits both festivals and thoughtful road trips. A few years back, I drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway with BALTHVS on my playlist. Their music matched the dreamy, winding roads by the ocean perfectly.
BALTHVS has become one of Colombia's most influential bands. Since forming in 2019, they've put out five studio albums, one live album, and twelve EPs. They've also toured internationally, playing at major festivals like Electric Forest, Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Jam Cruise, and SXSW Sydney. Their sound blends retro psychedelia, funk, jazz, Middle Eastern and Latin melodies, indie rock, and improvisational jams.
Manifest album artwork
BALTHVS returns with a bigger sound on their new album, Manifest. The album keeps the qualities I love about their music but adds more energy and a stronger psychedelic vibe, with more rock-driven drums and bass, vaporwave, and Ethio-jazz.
The band recorded it over two years between international tours and at a rural farm studio outside Bogotá, Colombia. To capture the same chemistry they create on stage, the band tracked the album using the live performance rigs they use on tour.
“Hermetic principles have guided the band since the beginning,” says BALTHVS. “We attribute our success to the strict following of those principles. Alchemy was never dabbling in chemistry; it was all an analogy for internal processes. True alchemy lies in knowing yourself, then committing entirely to that knowledge and purpose. We’ve tried our best to stick to these principles, and we have really tried to MANIFEST for the past half-decade.”
Across the 11 tracks on Manifest, BALTHVS moves between easy listening, funk, disco, rock, and jazz. The album expands beyond a wandering road trip soundtrack while keeping many of the elements that drew me to them. Standouts include the funky, danceable opening track “In-N-Out (Downtown),” the 70s disco “Pale Blue Dot,” and the beautifully spooky “Flesh and Soul.”
Manifest is out October 7th via Mixto Records. BALTHVS is on a US tour this October to support Manifest. Remaining dates can be found below!
