Seattle’s Acapulco Lips have always been a band you could count on for sun-baked fuzz, jangly hooks, and that sweet spot where garage grit meets 60s girl group charm. But Now — their latest full-length via Killroom Records — feels like they’ve taken that cocktail, added an extra shot of swagger, and served it with a little more bite. Produced by Killroom co-founders Ben Jenkins and Troy Nelson and mastered by Pacific Northwest punk legend Kurt Bloch, the record oozes analog warmth and a lived-in confidence that only comes from over a decade of doing this thing for real.
From the opening swirl of “Welcome to the Other Side,” you’re immediately pulled into their technicolor world. It’s a psychedelic handshake — sparkly but slightly dangerous — that sets the tone for the rest of the ride. “You Won’t” keeps things tight and punchy, the bass strutting right alongside fuzzed-out guitar jabs while Maria-Elena Herrell delivers vocals that are equal parts honeyed and sly.
Now is a bit of a concept album, or at least all tied together by the overarching theme of time. “I’d say pretty much every single song on Now goes back to the theme of time,” says Herrell. “There’s an urgency that comes with understanding you can’t get it back, and you don’t know how much you’ll get.” That urgency pulses through tracks like “Everyday,” a frustrated observation of history repeating itself, and “Slowly Disappearing,” a slow-burning elegy for fading places and people. Written in part after seeing photos of the now-abandoned hospital where she was born, the song captures a feeling of slow erosion — of personal and collective memory — with a gentleness that suggests deeper loss. “It can feel like you are disappearing along with them,” she says.
The concept of time is particularly relevant to me at the moment- with a toddler and a baby, there is never enough of it, and it always seems to be flying by. I’m shocked by the fact that Summer 2025 is nearly over, and I’ll be honest- there have only been about 3 albums released this year that I’ve listened to more than once. My time is more precious than ever, and I only want to listen to stuff I love. Now is one of these records, fast becoming my favorite driving music for a sunny day, and has even received the rock n roll stamp of approval from my very discerning almost 4 year old, who said of the record: “her voice sounds like Josie [and the Pussycats]”.
There are honestly no bad tracks on this record. “Fuzzy Sunshine,” is exactly what the name promises: woozy, blissed-out psych pop that sounds like a perfect summer afternoon that could tip into chaos at any moment. The band leans into surf-tinged shimmer here, with Stefan Rubicz’s keys adding little retro glimmers between the fuzz.
Then there’s “Pas d’échappatoire” — a swaggering detour into French-laced cool that makes you want to put on big sunglasses and wander around some imaginary 60s Paris back alley. It’s a reminder that Acapulco Lips know their lineage, but never just rehash it. They’re pulling from the past while firmly planting themselves in the present tense.
“The Flim-Flam” is all restless energy and garage punk twitch, while “Slowly Disappearing” pulls things back into slow-burn territory.
“Happy Were The Days” takes a little bit of a darker, heavier, eastern-influenced turn- hauntingly hypnotic with its driving rhythms, lyrically reflecting on happier times behind. It drives the album perfectly into the final 2 tracks, which are among its most impressive and beautiful. “So Many Miles”, another meditation on time, is jangly, 60s girl group perfection, with its layered harmonies asking us to ponder where we’re headed with the time we’ve got left. “See You On the Other Side”, the album’s final track, begins with 2 minutes of fun psychedelic freakout hammering home that NOW IS THE TIME, before going quiet , then treating us to several minutes of droning, lush soundscape.
What really sticks with me is how Now manages to be both a party, and a meditation. The whole record is threaded with that urgency Herrell talks about — the understanding that you can’t get time back, and you don’t know how much you’ll get. But rather than wallow, Acapulco Lips funnel that urgency into bigger grooves, sharper hooks, and performances that feel like they could fall apart in the best possible way. It’s a joyful noise that makes the perfect soundtrack for your end of Summer fun. So put it on, turn it up, and let it remind you that the best music doesn’t just nod to the past, it makes you feel right here in the present.
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