LOS Psychosis
Los Psychosis is a Memphis based Latinx psychobilly band heavily educated in the traditions of primordial Rock & Roll. With lead guitarist and vocalist Javi Arcega, Los Psychosis has been a prominent part of the Memphis Rock & Roll scene since 2011. Rock and Roll Dreams, recorded at American Studio and Sun Studio, is their first album. The record is 140 g vinyl and plays at 45 rpm.
Hoppin and Jumpin, Neptune 120, Dionysius Wave, El Vacio, Astral Dreams and El Ultimo Lago de China were recorded at American Studio on July 14 and 15, 2018. These tracks were produced by Toby Vest with sound engineering by Pete Mathews and Toby Vest. The musicians for this session included Javi Arcega (lead guitar and vocals), Corbin Linebarier (electric bass), Chapis Avila (drums, lap steel guitar, electric organ, vocals), Chris Hart (accordion) and Richard James (electric guitar).
Glittered Eyes, Ana, Paranoid life and Mala Luna were recorded at Sun Studio on February 29, 2020. These tracks were produced and sound engineered by Crockett Hall. The musicians for this session were Javi Arcega (lead guitar and vocals), Robert Cantu (electric guitar), Andrew Geraci (electric bass), Chapis Avila (lap steel and back up vocals), and Ra’id Cursed (drums).
All tracks were mixed by Adam Hill. The front cover was done by Memphis artist, Linda “Sukara” Salida.
Rock and Roll Dreams was released on download + streaming services on August 6, 2021.
The record plays at 45 rpm. Six songs are in English and 4 in Spanish, including a cover of Ana from the great Peruvian 60’s garage band Los Saicos.
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Apparently these folks have been at it for a decade this is their debut and but this is my first exposure to them and definitely not my last. The record was recorded half at Sun Studios and the other half at American Studios and the whole thing sounds great. This is one bandwagon you can jump on now, the band will welcome you with open arms and you’ll never wanna leave. - Daggerzine | READ
Did a quick bit of digging and found them described as a “Memphis-based Latinx psychobilly band,” which I guess fits well enough, but even a cursory listen demonstrates there’s a bit more going on. Weaving through the reverbed and delayed guitars are strains of exotica, death rock, norteño, psychedelia, and other influences that no doubt will result in outraged howls from purists but ultimately make this much more of a hoot. Hell, if anything, I’d love to hear ’em stretch further, pollute the waters even more, and really strive for a seriously “psychotic” sound to complement that band name. As it stands, this is a really good listen, one decidedly much better than the legions of same-ol’ Meteors retreads that have too long proliferated. - razorcake | READ
Memphis-based Latinx psychobilly band Los Psychosis is, as they say, “heavily educated in the traditions of primordial Rock & Roll”. Led by vocalist/guitarist Javi Arcega the band has been a fixture of the Memphis scene for a decade now, however, ‘Rock and Roll Dreams’, recorded at American Studio and Sun Studio, is just their first album.
Even though rock and roll is front and center, Los Psychosis allows different influences to creep into their sound, employing lap steel guitar, accordion, and electric organ. It all makes for a solid set of rambunctious roots music and Sun Records-style rockabilly that will evoke names like The Cramps, Soledad Brothers, and Flat Duo Jets. - 50 Third & 3rd | READ
If the first song, “Glittered Eyes” doesn’t grab you and shake the pants off you then nothing will. Chapis Arcega trippy pedal steel give it that cool sound while the guitars are completely on overload. “Hoppin’ and Jumpin’ with the trippy accordion, swings to the left, then right then all over and “Neptune” sounds like Roy Orbison all hepped up on goofballs (in the best way possible) …The whole thing sounds great. This is one bandwagon you can jump on now, the band will welcome you with open arms and you’ll never wanna leave. - Dagger Zine | READ MORE
Featuring Javi Arcega on lead vocals and guitar, the Memphis-based Los Psychosis came to me described as Latinx psychobilly, which I’ll confess had me a little worried purely in genre terms, as most psychobilly is about as personally appealing as getting a can of baked beans shoved up my ass. I’m not talking about The Cramps, a band that I adore, and who I don’t consider to be psychobilly, anyway. For that matter, Los Psychosis don’t remind me of psychobilly either, as they are far too stylistically broad, while keeping a firm handle on the rootsy and also punked-up spit and fire. There’s a swampy aura to much of this set leading me to suggest that fans of The Gun Club and The Flesh Eaters will find Rock and Roll Dreams to their liking, but additionally, the druggy quality of tunes like “Hoppin and Jumpin” and “Ana” tempts me to call this psychedelic-billy, which is a sound I totally support. Plus, “Dionysus Wave” hits like a self-released new wave single from ’79, and “El Vacio” delivers some scuzzy Tex-Mex action. Some of the singing even reminds me of Darby. Weeee! A- - Vinyl District | READ MORE
Los Psychosis manage to cut their debut LP to wax amid a system that is groaning under the strain of unprecedented global demand. And we’ve managed to grab a test pressing! Wow, what a record this is. Authentic, dripping with fiery Latin fusion and more than a nod to music from a bygone era. Gone are the overtly familiar tones of a sloppy double bass and a welcome heralding of accordion and lap steel. Certainly very different from the psychobilly movement in the UK back in the 1980s this is, however, certainly a noticeable stable mate. There is certainly an imminent line up change in the band looming, but this debut LP from this bunch of Memphis rockers will long remain a favourite here at Record Box HQ. - From the Record Box Podcast | LISTEN HERE
As Los Psychosis, a self-described “Latinx psychobilly band heavily educated in the traditions of primordial rock and roll,” their wide-ranging influences are on full display. In general terms, psychobilly can be described as a fusion of rockabilly and punk rock, often incorporating imagery derived from horror and sci-fi. The genre first emerged out of New York’s punk scene during the 1970s, and has since spread and evolved around the globe. - Daily Memphian | READ MORE
Javi Arcega is living the dream. The frontman of Memphis-based Latinx psychobilly band, Los Psychosis, is pleased to release the band’s debut LP Rock and Roll Dreams on Memphis-based Black and Wyatt Records. “I had no clue that this would ever come back again,” Arcega tells me, referring to live music in a, if not post-pandemic, at least post-crisis world. Now, fresh off a performance at Black Lodge’s Telethon fundraiser and having just released his band’s first full-length record, it would seem Arcega and Los Psychosis are poised to make the most of a world that, once again, sways and hums with live music. -MEMPHIS FLYER | READ MORE
La banda latina de Memphis, Tennessee, Los Psychosis, es conocida por sus creaciones de música psychobilly, un género que combina elementos del rockabilly y el punk rock y suele describirse como un rockabilly más rápido y fuerte. Los Psychosis se describen a sí mismos como una banda "fuertemente educada en las tradiciones del rock and roll primordial", y una parte prominente de la escena del rock and roll de Memphis desde 2011. -Al Dia | READ MORE: ENGLISH | ESPANOL
Dark and dirty, from the ominous swamps of R'n'R, Psychobilly, Bluespunk, Garage, and with an overdose of longing under their belt, Los Psychosis, a Latino Psychobilly-R'n'R band from Memphis, gracefully follow in the footsteps of legends like The Gun Club and The Cramps with their debut album. In terms of production, the album could easily have been made in the 1980s. Dark midtempo numbers like the danceable-hypnotic "Mala Luna", the doomsday number "Dionysus Wave", or "Ana" alternate with more (punk)rock songs like "Hoppin and Jumpin", "Astral Dreams" & the heart-piercing opener "Glittered Eyes". The 10-track vinyl album, running at 45RPM, was recorded in parts at Sun Studio, Memphis. With vocalist and lead guitarist Javi Arcega, the band has a charismatic voice that gives the gritty side of Rock'n'Roll on display a great chance to gather new devotees in the pale, dust-drenched ceiling light of the local billiard club. Recommended to everyone for whom Bluespunk, Dark Rock'n'Roll & Garage is essential." DJ Cramér | READ IN GERMAN
The album title was also influenced by Arcega’s legacy. “The title relates to the fact that I am a first generation immigrant. Like most people, my family came to this country in search of a better life, and for me that means pursuing my dream of rock and roll, ”said Arcega.
…Precise percussions and a passionate vocal rehearsal close these hermetic beginnings. - Punk Pop | READ MORE
