We’ve done something we never did: two new releases at the same time: please welcome The Thugs and Similou!
Two amazing artists we never worked with before, but we’ve been following for years.
Two musicians known for their past and present in two established bands of the italian and european underground scene, debuting here with their new things.
25% comfort zone, 75% not.
Similou is Vincenzo Marando, (almost) founder and long time guitarist in Movie Star Junkies, known since 2006 for their fiery garage/roots/punk, as heard on five albums and several singles. After leaving the band in 2022, Vincenzo is now also active as a member of psychedelic rock trio Heart Of Snake (Maple Death Records).
Inferno Bizzarro is his fist album as Similou: a work entirely written, recorded and mixed by him at home in the course of over two years, where some of his less evident passions now flow free: the sound and aesthetics of exotica, the rich world of italian library music, the blues and primitivist roots, the creative use of sampling.
The Thugs is Nicola Giunta, founder and main mind behind Lay Llamas, a crucial band in what has been called New Italian Occult Psychedelia, with eight albums and several singles out. He is also an internationally known visual artist, with his xerox art works being used for record covers and posters.
Holy Cobra Dub is his first album as The Thugs, and it’s an immersion in the purest ‘70s roots reggae/dub sound. Almost entirely played with vintage equipment, its 12 tracks sound like coming stright out of Lee Perry’s Black Ark studios, but with a dark and psychedelic twist that’s sometimes explicit, but more often hidden in details, reminding us of yesterday’s and today’s post-punk, and of the esxpensive mediterranean rock of Lay Llamas.
Both albums will be out April 28 on CD and digital, and are available for preorder on Love Boat’s Bandcamp or in our store.
Love Boat Records & Buttons 