The Greyboy Allstars - Como De Allstars (2020)

Como De Allstars, the new Greyboy Allstars studio album (and first in seven years) will be released on July 3. The record will be available digitally to start and we'll launch vinyl order details soon.

In 2017, the band found an open rehearsal room and challenged themselves to write their first new tunes in half a decade. They reveled in the same rapport they felt when they first stepped into a practice so long ago. “Getting the physical bodies together is almost impossible, given our schedules,” says Andrews. “But it immediately feels like it did back then. We have such a great time.”

Denson captured the Dallas jams with his laptop and passed them around. The band soon reconvened for another writing session in San Diego, the band’s cradle that remains the hometown for half its members. They decided to capture these songs much like they’d done in their earliest days, particularly for West Coast Boogaloo—on the cheap and on the quick, without overthinking a concept or production.

Recorded in a three-day burst, Como De Allstars is an exuberant reminder of the playful sense of power that has forever been their hallmark. It also acknowledges our anxious times. The record begins with its title track, a rallying cry for perseverance in the face of oppression, for fighting for the ability to not just survive but thrive. Delivered in unison over an undaunted rhythm section, the first track on the record “Como De Allstars” is a stirring and timely testament to the revolutionary origins and powers of jazz, funk, and their boogaloo blend—and the Greyboy Allstars’ continual ability to deliver them.

They rented a house in Highland Park in northeast Los Angeles, living again like young roommates, and booked four days at nearby Studio 64. The moment they finished a take of the final song on the third day, the tape machine died. “That’s a sign!” Walter remembers of the machine’s demise, laughing. “That’s it!” Why wait for the fix and unnecessarily squander a day, they wondered? How could they improve on the casual magic they’d captured?

They dubbed the sessions Como de Allstars as a spin on the Spanish phrase como de costumbre, or “as per usual,” since they've always been at their best when plowing through tunes without hesitation. Hard-charging powerhouse “The Skipper” proves the Allstars have not lost an ounce of collective energy during the last two decades—the rhythm section feels spring-loaded, the repartee between keys and horns excitable and exacting.

Denson dips and dives over Stillwell and Redfield’s proud strut during the infectious “Executive Party,” Walter flooding the negative space with biofluorescent washes of Hammond B3. “Les Imperials” unfurls as a candid hangout between old friends gathered around a high-top table to discuss the news of the day and their lives, each briefly taking the conversational lead with that sharp guitar riff or this probing keyboard run. “Born Into Space” seems to sparkle beneath a psychedelic haze as Denson darts into a dazzling flute vamp, while “Warm Brass” rolls like a gentle Southern rock standard of long ago down some bucolic backroad. These songs are a testament to their strengths as individual writers and enthusiastic group listeners, able to hear one another’s ideas and run with them.