Sweaty, funky, exotic, committed. Garotas Suecas (“Swedish Girls,”
in Portuguese) hail from São Paulo, Brazil, and their hearty, fullthroated
stew combines the best elements of their country’s homegrown
Tropicalia with Anglo-American soul and freakbeat. The
six members of the group met as teenagers at an open mic night and
promptly formed a band, hijacking the home of an area poet for their
rehearsals. They self-financed three EPs, toured Brazil, and outlandishly
landed an MTV video music award.
But what psychs the band more than anything is launching their
Brazilian Invasion of the States. In the wake of their second smash
appearance at SXSW in Austin and subsequent two-week US tour, Garotas
Suecas’ debut full-length, Escaldante Banda, arrives just in time
for a month-long encore tour in September. The band looks forward to
blazing a smoldering trail across the country.
Escaldante Banda offers a brew of Otis Redding soul grooves and
Os Mutantes craziness. The Garotas’ most accomplished recording
to date and the ideal Stateside introduction to Brazil’s best-kept secret,
the record bursts with fuzz guitars, polyrhythms, scorching female
backing vocals, big horn sections, and heavy psychedelia. Its
grooves are thick, and it comes to make America shake. The perfect
late-summer dance record.
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