Bio

There is something beautiful about how the immigrant experience brings people together. When Fabián Caballero (Guitar/Vocals) met Javier Ortega (Drums) at a Halloween party in Queens, NY it was like meeting a brother. Both were born in Argentina to immigrants who came from the same small town in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As the children of Bolivians in Argentina, both commiserated over the prejudice they had endured from other kids while growing up. Now in the U.S., they also shared hardships stemming from their complicated immigration status.

 

The two started playing out of a rehearsal space in Astoria, Queens and Guatemalan-born bassist Marvin Rodriguez soon joined in, taking the trio to play venues and basement parties around Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

 

In their debut EP, Let Them In, Selvátiko features a dynamic mix of styles including psych rock, alternative rock, and cumbia, where laid back grooves juxtapose with metal inspired breakdowns. With songs written in Spanish, English, and an intro spoken in Quechua – an indigenous language spoken in Bolivia – the EP delivers a strong rebuke of anti-immigrant rhetoric, religion-inspired hatred, and our abuse of nature. Using a lyrical approach that is abstract, playful, and at times sarcastic, the EP is an introspective observation of our own flaws, both individual and collective. These self loathing themes, delivered through haunting vocal harmonies, become a confessional of our unsound existence.