Show Notes
Los Yesterdays sound like they stepped out of a time machine parked somewhere in East L.A., 1969. Drummer/composer Gabriel Rowland and singer-songwriter Victor “Bad Vic” Benavides started the band in 2017, and what began as a nod to old-school Chicano soul has evolved into something bigger - a little movement called souldies. It’s rare these days to catch something early enough before it evolves into something larger, so we were lucky to have a conversation with Los Yesterdays when we did. Their 2024 record Frozen in Time plays like a love letter to Motown, Latin soul, and Philly R&B, but with barrio fingerprints all over it. Horns, Spanish guitar, and the gentle scraping of a güiro (among other percussion instruments) lend texture; harp, piano, and a slow, emotional vocal delivery give it heart. You may even hear the ghost of a backyard party drifting through the grooves.
Their music feels rooted: stories of longing, love lost, memories of cruising and porch lights, barrio life, and family. The imagery is vivid - summers in South-Central or East L.A., kids playing on blacktop, vinyl spinning in garages, communal heartbreak in whispered Spanish and English. You don’t have to be Chicano to feel the feels with Los Yesterdays, but it helps if you’ve ever grown up in a place where music blared from garage speakers all summer. Songs like “Nobody’s Clown” reminded the world that heartbreak never really goes out of style. Los Yesterdays carry that “old soul” warmth in service to romantic heartbreak, yearning, and cultural memory. The trick Los Yesterdays pull off is simple but rare: they honor the past without embalming it. This isn’t retro cosplay - it’s alive. Frozen in Time might sound vintage, but it sweats, sighs, and breaks your heart right here in the present. For fans of classic soul, Latin influence, and deeply felt nostalgia, this is a band that embodies both tribute and originality. Los Yesterdays don’t imitate the past - they extend it into the present.
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