Premiere: Tijuana Cartel unveil new single Minimal Stuffing, announce new album

Over the course of the last two decades (and then some), Tijuana Cartel have blossomed into one of Australia's most forward-thinking, genre-fleeting names. Since forming way back in the late-90s, the constantly-evolving Gold Coast group have consistently pushed the boundaries of not just their own sound, but that of a wider Australian electronic scene; their sound - or really lack their of, considering their versatility - bridging the gaps between a thick electronic footing and mannerisms plucked from all over the world, from the tranquilness of ambience right through to flamenco stepping and blues-y, earthy beats.

Across this time, they've also evolved into one of the country's most adored and experienced live acts, with an international footprint greater than the world map of influences they pluck sounds from. They've played everything from Splendour In The Grass to a residency in Beijing during their Olympic Games; their blend of sounds and cultures - and its uniting with dance music's many facets and edges - obviously hitting a soft spot no matter where they are, and is perhaps the core force between their status as one of the country's longest-standing acts.

Even in 2020, some three decades (!!) into their career, they're continuing to look forwards. Today, the group announce their forthcoming new record Acid Pony with a taste of what's to come next from Tijuana Cartel's future, teasing the album's release with its first single, Minimal Stuffing. Premiering on Pilerats today ahead of its official release tomorrow, Minimal Stuffing is really anything but minimal. Instead, it's a heaving return firmly rooted in dance music that pushes their sound into new directions, taking their worldly instrumentation and aligning it with a thick dance core that really brings things up a notch.

"We wanted to create something you could lose yourself in headphones to or dance around your living room to," the group say on the single, which feels adjacent to acts like Bonobo but with a distinctive, Tijuana Cartel-characteristic edge. "The band now have two studio set ups; one on the Sunshine Coast hinterland and one on the Gold Coast. Carey and Paul work on songs separately and email the tracks back and forth. This was another way the band dealt with making music during social distancing laws. Much of the animated stuff comes out of Carey’s back yard garden. The flora was scanned in using a 3D scanner made out of a hacked record player."

It's a long-winding journey with plenty of ebbs and flows, and you can take a dive into it below as we premiere the song ahead of its official release on July 17. Acid Pony, Tijuana Cartel's new record, is out November 13th, but if you can't wait that long, there's a slight chance you might hear something new a little sooner, as they announce a few limited dates over the next few months (providing everything goes well pandemic-wise, of course).

Find them all below:

Tour Dates: 

SUN 19 JUL | SOL BAR, MAROOCHYDORE QLD
FRI 31 JUL | LIVESTREAM
FRI 14 AUG | MARY’S UNDERGROUND, SYDNEY NSW
SAT 29 AUG | THE ZOO, BRISBANE QLD

Follow Tijuana Cartel: FACEBOOK