Borracho Premiere “Caravan” Lyric Video; New Album in Progress
Washington, D.C. riff-rollers Borracho issued their fourth full-length, Pound of Flesh (review here), in Aug. 2021 with the vinyl backing of the respected purveyors at Kozmik Artifactz. They have reportedly started work on the next one, and given the outward-looking bent of the lyrics throughout Pound of Flesh as showcased in “Caravan” and the prior single “It Came From the Sky” (premiered here; hey, I’m allowed to like bands), I have significant doubts the three-piece will have run out of topics for discussion.
The lyrics are a focal point for “Caravan” enough for there to be a lyric video, but one ignores the stretch of keyboard running alongside the nodder riff in the song’s second half at one’s own peril. As guitarist Steve Fisher belts out the hook “All hope is gone/Still we travel on” to cut straight to the heart of a refugee’s plight — as relevant to Ukraine now as to Syria, Mexico, Uyghurs in China, and so on, as it was when the song was written, human beings drowning in the Mediterranean, the Rio Grande, the Gulf of Mexico, fleeing violence and dying from exposure in an empty expanse or freezing on cold ground — yes, it’s a downer. This is not an uplifting track, not party rock. Grim ideas on a grim subject.
But it’s not doom, despite that, or exploiting this horror to serve its own ends. Rather, Borracho find a sonic context in which to tell the story — bassist Tim Martin and drummer Mario Trubiano so fluid in delivering on the band’s ongoing stated promise of ‘repetitive heavy grooves’ (which they should really copyright by now) — that’s not too overblown in its heft but backs the lyrics and vocals an engrossing fuzz and roll such that the nine-minute track feels decidedly shorter as the various effects-manipulated landscapes of “Caravan” proceed past, emphasizing the feeling of journeying, maybe being lost.
I don’t know if “Caravan” is the last single Borracho will highlight from Pound of Flesh, but if so, it’s welcome news to see confirmed below that they’re putting together ideas to move forward with a next outing. “Caravan” is a song that brings to mind the work Borracho have put in over the last decade-plus to become the band they are, and the immersive power their songs can have while remaining largely straightforward in structure.
Enjoy the clip:
Borracho, “Caravan” lyric video premiere
A cold desert. A stormy sea. A mountain range. A strange land. Violence. Conflict. Terrorism. Economic crisis. They flee for many reasons and brave many dangers for a better life. Wherever they come from, stand with refugees.
Caravan is the third single from the Borracho LP Pound of Flesh, out now on Kozmik Artifactz.
Order now at https://borracho.bandcamp.com
We haven’t seen too many stages lately, but we’ve been hard at work writing and recording our next album. Most of it has already been tracked, and it’ll be wrapped up in the next few months. No projected release info yet, but stay tuned! We may have a couple other tricks up our sleeve between now and then.
Borracho is:
Steve Fisher – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Tim Martin – Bass
Mario Trubiano – Drums
