Introducing: Máscaras

MÁSCARAS: MAXIMALIST INDIGENOUS PSYCH

Máscaras needs no introduction here in Portland, where they took the music scene by storm with a flurry of dizzying performances and the release of their debut record, “Máscara vs. Máscara” eventually landing themselves on Willamette Week’s prestigious “Best New Band” list for 2015.

Máscaras, comprised of three Portland music scene veterans, is what happens when an off-the-cuff jam session between friends really, really works. Even in its recorded form, “it’s a jam with themes that live and breathe,” the band says, “leaving room for the unexpected.” The trio, comprised of Papi Fimbres (drums), Theo Craig (bass), and Carlos Segovia (guitar), plays heavy, propellant psychedelic music with surf-rock twang and mathy sensibilities. They call it “maximalist indigenous psych,” and while it’s not exactly the kind of music that one would normally identify with Portland—these are, after all, three brown dudes in the whitest city in America—they have become local favorites since their low-key formation in 2013.

FEATURED TRACKS:

One of our favorite songs from “Máscara vs. Máscara” is Desert Masks. The track starts with a single, fuzzed out bass line that quickly ascends into a spiraling rhythmic melody that takes the listener on a psychedelic journey as it plays between swirling guitar lines. This band rips.

City In Ruins takes us deeper into the world of Máscaras, where the three friends get heavy with big riffs, frantic drums and deep bass lines. The song ascends into an epic instrumental bursting with frenetic energy and unabashed shredding.

A nod to Carlos & Papi’s roots in playing Cumbia and Latin rhythms, NewYorican offers melodic respite from the heavy riffage of previous tracks. A sparce-by-comparison arrangement showcases the bands skill in crafting intricate melodies paired with tight rhythms.

Check out the tunes below and head over to Máscaras Artist Page to hear “Máscara vs. Máscara” in it’s entirety.