You're probably reading this and have no idea who Florian Droids are. The costarican neopsychodelic band achieved a peculiar saintly glow surrounding after their self-titled debut album and the instant hit "Larvas Salvajes" back in 2011. Their fan base somehow developed a certain affection for the band's genre, and are often seen as the most awesome band from Costa Rica not named Las Robertas. As a genre, neo-psychedelia is certainly vague, but it’s also very prevalent. Generally, it refers to bands appearing in the late 70s onward, heavily influenced by the expansive, pioneering sounds of 60s psychedelia. Many contemporary bands find inspiration in early prog (Pink Floyd, King Crimson) and an obsession with jangly pop bands like The Beatles and The Byrds. Whatever the term “psychedelic” means, a benchmark may exist, and Florian Droids’ minimal chants, pleading, and beguiling in a fuzzed-out haze, clearly put this music well within the psych realm.
It seems that the band's guiding principle in making new music entails a commitment to openness, but more than that, it’s a call for simplicity. Upon first listens of "Vos," their new single from their forthcoming album Osos de Agua, falls into the pop vein, perhaps more toward the Monkees end of the spectrum than the Beatles end. For the most part, 'Vos' is an incredibly low-key, lovelorn ballad about the wonder years melding a Pepe Deluxé-style pipe organ with a early-60s pop shuffle and Beach Boys-like vocals. "Vos" works as their most optimistic and soft-edged release to date. The video was directed by well known producer Neto Villalobos who created a character that grounds a universe of equal parts mirth and growth, humor and honesty, filtered through lenses that we may never fully comprehend. The rest is hard evidence of a distinct creative character taking flight.