Surf meets Cumbia in wonderfully strange retro fusion.

On a road trip with a friend I decided to spin LA LOM to hear his thoughts. Almost immediately he said, “Cumbia!” The Latin beat that accompanies the first song on the album was familiar to music I’d enjoyed from a distance, but I never knew what it was called. This song had the backbone of music my friend grew up with. “That beat. That’s Cumbia.”

“Angels Point” begins the collection with staccato melodies on a lead guitar drowning in reverb. If not spaghetti western, it’s undeniably surf. Combined with bouncing Latin percussion, the two genres meld in a unique and surprisingly natural way. While I had always assumed these two genres lived in different universes, they appear to have coexisted here since their inception.

If you told me that the drumsticks and guitar strings were the only things on this record that were made after 1960, I wouldn’t bat an eye.

The actual tonality of the album itself had me triple checking that this was in fact recorded in 2024 and not a reissue of a lost recording from a Hollywood studio’s archive.

While the album is much more than a period piece, there is only an occasional use of plate reverb and harmonic tremolo which further the illusion of this being a found recording. What helps The Los Angeles League of Musicians shine is that this album is wonderfully lighthearted. It knows you’ve had a hard week, and that you deserve to sit by the pool with a fruity drink of your choice in hand. Each song feels positive and relaxed.

Even with this is a fresh melding of genres, the band evokes nostalgia as they lead you down memory lane. It could very well be the soundtrack to reminiscing about watching Gunsmoke with my grandpa or walking through antique stores with my mom. Maybe that’s just me. Either way, LA LOM have passionately crafted an instrumental album that is brimming with the sounds of sunshine.

Other songs like “Moonlight Over Montebello” and “San Fernando Rose” give off “John Wayne vacations to Hawaii” vibes.

I’ve never once had to ponder if I was listening to a Western or a Pacific Islander song, but here we are – and what a lovely fusion it is. The calm romanticism that fills the air on this release can’t be overstated. Maracas and lap steel guitar greet you on the shores of a remote island better than David Attenborough ever could.

Although a full-time trio of guitar, bass, and percussion, the group’s videos seem to feature other part-time members of the League that appear on the record. Keyboardists, violins, and additional percussionists jump in to add to the soundscapes without detracting too much attention from the primary group. “Ghosts of Gardena” is the best example of this. A string quartet and piano player refocus the listener’s attention as they slide into the spotlight for a brief moment.

With so much of popular music today at least partially being rooted in a blues origin, it makes the group’s lack of blues influence all the sweeter. While most of the melodies are laid out on guitar akin to traditional American surf music, there are no guitar solos. Just as “Espejismo” began playing, I asked my friend what the word means. Optical illusion. A fitting title for a song that could be the soundtrack for Adam West Batman going to Egypt.

LA LOM have created a beautiful collection of music that honors the music of American and Hispanic heritages and brings them together in such a heavenly way.

After all, it’s been a long week and a busy month. You owe it to yourself to take a well-deserved break by the pool with The Los Angeles League of Musicians.

Make sure to follow LA LOM on Instagram. You can check out “Espejismo” below.