When Notel dropped their first single earlier this month, the band’s chilled-out, beachy instrumentals quickly made waves throughout Portland. “Sun Reservoir” is the slightly wicked, ultra-breezy track that you might play while cruising down Highway 101 in a getaway vehicle after successfully robbing a bank with your boo. Candy-coated on one end and colorfully eerie on the other, the nostalgic nod will leave you pining in the dust when it’s all over.
Notel is the brainchild of several staples in the Portland music scene, including guitarists Becky Miller (Top Parts) and Peter Condra (Magic Mouth), drummer Emily Kingan (Lovers), and synthy mysticism from Lorna Krier (Lorna Dune). This month’s Sound + Vision at Mississippi Studios will be the band’s first-ever concert, so expect them to unveil even more material live. What better way to welcome Notel than to pair them up with the similarly moody and star-studded Savila, a psychedelic three-piece inspired by the range of Latin America’s cumbias and sun-kissed West Coast surf rock.
Guitarist and She Shreds founder Fabi Reyna cleverly stacks dreamy riffs while vocalist Brisa Gonzalez (of the now-defunct Swan Island) hypnotizes audiences with Spanish-language tales. It’s topped off with cowbell-friendly tropical beats from Orquestra Pacifico Tropical and Mascaras percussionist Papi Fimbres, for a smoky sound that’s meant for stomping and swaying along.