Friends of the proGram BALTHVS, the Colombian psych-funk trio, has wrapped up their massive world tour and impressively stayed true to a commitment they made to themselves and their fans: to deliver a unique setlist at every show. As they traveled across Europe, the U.S., & Latin America, with dates opening for My Morning Jacket & major festivals, the band saw firsthand what happens to a song when it is given a year, crowds & open stages to evolve. Their newest album is the product of that time on the road. Aptly titled Transmutations, it defies easy categorization. It is not a live album, nor a conventional studio release, but something rarer: a document of transformation. It was captured live during their late 2025 European concerts and the Flesh & Soul tour, by Zev Russ, with additional studio recordings taking place in San Diego, CA, & Bogota, Colombia, recorded & produced by bandleader Balthazar Aguirre. The album also marks a transitional moment in the band’s story. It serves as both farewell & welcome: a bittersweet send-off for fill-in bassist Vanessa Muñoz, whose ferocious energy redefined the sound of these songs in concert, and a joyful homecoming for Johanna Mercuriana. Both appear on the record, as the band is unwilling to erase either chapter, making Transmutations a living record of the people who shaped it. On the new album, longtime fans will recognize the band’s signature warmth in Johanna’s Dream and their reverence for improvisation in Inner Heights. All is One, their psychedelic centerpiece, grew a full offspring in Outer Reaches, a tribal drum-driven journey that spotlights the percussive brilliance of Santiago. Ojos Verdes similarly gave birth to LSD in Bahia, a hypnotic fusion of Brazilian & Hungarian rhythms filtered through the unmistakable BALTHVS lens. Those newer to BALTHVS will find an entry point in Mood Swing, a dance-floor-ready arrangement born from a remix by collaborator Sinego, & Shakedown Street, the band’s love letter to the Grateful Dead, a group that is foundational to their entire musical pursuit. With Transmutations, BALTHVS celebrates their 1st fully independent release, arriving under their own Cubensis Records imprint. It is a milestone that reflects 5 years of growth not just as musicians but as artists who have full command of their creative & business lives. It is a record that could only exist today, as it is shaped by everything they have lived & learned, by the people who came and went, and by the audiences who helped them discover what their music could become. In just 5 years, BALTHVS has become one of indie music’s most vital & globally resonant voices. Hailing from Colombia, BALTHVS is a three-piece psychedelic funk rock band creating groove-driven, atmospheric music that draws from global influences. Their sound fuses the spirit of 70s psychedelia with funk, Latin rhythms, & ambient texture. Inspired by artists like Santana, Khruangbin, Thievery Corporation, & The Grateful Dead, BALTHVS create music that feels both nostalgic & forward-thinking, a guitar-driven psychedelic funk rock experience that is unmistakably their own. At the heart of the group is Balthazar Aguirre, a self-taught guitarist who started down his musical path after a near death rock climbing accident. The incident opened his eyes to his true passion, music, driving him to leave behind his life as a lawyer and form BATHVS. He is joined by fellow musicians and funk enthusiasts Johanna Mercuriana, the bassist, & Santiago Lizcano, the drummer.
I had the chance to get toGether once again with Balthazar to dive ear first into Transmutations. While this is an adventure of the ears, this band delivers everything they do with a lot of heart as well and that is not missed by me. I feel the family affair going on as an outsider with this group. This music, that energy is what runs in their veins and is spilled out onto the stage (or even in the studio) daily/nightly. We talk about why this album right now and Balthazar doesn’t mince words when he says how this is a complete representation of who/what you get when you attend one of their events – the illusive recreation of a live show on a record. We talk about a challenge they took seriously when touring with My Morning Jacket. We talk about the bassist swamp and adding a new family member to the scene. I would have been remiss if I did not talk a little bit as well about their own label that is releasing the album, Cubensis Records. Of course, as we spoke about before, the influence of the Dead is discussed and how Shakedown Street found its place on the record. Live, they have their own ‘Drums->Space type a spot in their set – of course – more groove than experimental. I found our conversation surrounding Jam Bands in the U.S as a phenomena to be very interesting. While they may be growing up in both numbers and experience, it is those past experiences that still help paint the scene of just who this band is, and the sounds they seek. If you have not yet, it feels like now is the time to get yourself a part of this journey.
