Boogarins

Formed by friends Fernando Almeida and Benke Ferraz when they were still in high school, tropical psychedelic rock band Boogarins filters the sunny weirdness of '60s Tropicalia pop through more modernized D.I.Y. punk and indie-psych approach. The band started out as two friends recording songs on borrowed gear and glitchy computers in their parents' basements, but grew more ambitious and refined as the project expanded into a full live band on humid, frenetic affairs like 2017 album La Vem a Morte or the stardusted jams of 2019's Sombrou D​ú​vida. Boogarins were formed in the Brazilian city of Goiania in the early 2010s. The project began as an untitled, recording-only entity, and before ever playing a single show, filling out the band to include a rhythm section, or even choosing a name, Ferraz and Almeida had recorded an album's worth of material. These recordings caught the ears of music hounds and tastemakers the world over, eventually landing in the hands of Other Music Recording Co., the label offshoot of long-standing New York record shop and cultural institution Other Music. Once signed to the label, the duo had to make haste in becoming a "real band" and quickly named themselves Boogarins after a type of jasmine flower. They titled their debut album As Plantas Que Curam, the English translation of which is "Plants That Heal." The band expanded to include drummer Hans Castro and bassist Raphael Vaz, and played their first shows in April of 2013. Their album saw release in September of the same year and the group toured internationally in support. After the tour, Castro left the band, replaced by new drummer Ynaiã Benthroldo. In 2015, the band issued their sophomore studio long-player Manual, again on Other Music. Their next record, 2017's La Vem a Morte was first posted on YouTube with no press leadup -- it was intended as a surprise gift for their listeners. The album was met with positive reviews and more touring ensued. Two years later, Boogarins returned with fourth album Sombrou Dúvida. The album was a more lighthearted version of the band's sound, which often veered towards dark places on earlier efforts. Despite it's breezy air, Sombrou D​ú​vida was no less experimental than Boogarins' other albums, retaining their psychedelic production moves and dives into dub echoes or intense effects. The band's output was relegated to miscellaneous releases for the next few years, beginning with Manchaca Vol. 1 in 2020, a collection of demos, outtakes, and other miscellaneous evidence of their recording process. Later in 2020, they released Levitation Sessions, a live album. In April of 2021 a second volume of rarities was released with Manchaca Vol. 2, and in February of 2022, both volumes of the series were compiled and issued as a limited run of 300 cassette tapes.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo