Listening to Swahili makes me feel like I’m hallucinating. Their songs are built upon droning guitars and tribal rhythms as lyrics echo around the instruments, creating some of the most trance-inducing music I’ve heard out of Portland to date. Their self titled debut feels like an acid flashback, complete with artwork that is visually equal to the music. Its symmetry matches the steady rhythms of the songs and its colors seem to coincide with the emotions captured through the vocalist’s melodic shouts. The debut is available for free on Bandcamp, and you can experience their fluid psychedelia live on August 14th at the Holocene.- Benjamin Toledo
