Tuff Guac
I Want It Too
After introducing the world to the poppy, bouncy sounds of Tuff Guac on debut Green and Handsome' (2020), Rafael Valles Hilario brought in a whole bunch of soul-, funk-, and Morricone-influenced tunes for Swanky Love (2024): a vibrant record on which the thrift-shop cowboy theme was cemented. Now, a mere eighteen months later, he's back with a new full-length. Once again recorded on the analog machines of Tooth Mountain Studio, I Want It Too' ties it all neatly together while bringing in new sounds. Thirteen expertly crafted pop songs full of catchy hooks, funky jabs, foot-stomping beats, and choruses catchy as hell ones you'll be humming for days. All delivered with a whole bunch of absurdist humour. Every song on the album has a distinct sound and identity. The '60s organs on lead single I Want It Too', strutting saxophone on Sweeter Than Honey', angelic folk choirs on Floating Like a Feather' The garage roots are apparent too. There's guitar fuzzin' a-plenty, and the drum fill in Perfection might as well be on a Motörhead album. Meanwhile, songs like Show Me the Way and I'm a Vegetable have an undeniably dark atmosphere. I Want It Too' brings together Morricone pastiche, Beatles Blue Album psychedelia, Motown slick, and Daptone grit all inside a 21st-century garage-DIY universe. A wholly fresh and original ode to 20th-century rock and pop music, I Want It Too' is a warm and analog hug in an increasingly cold and digital world.