The Animeros – Nick Tozzo (drummer and percussionist), Nicolas Sánchez (bassist), and Mauro Lopez (guitarist) craft a genre-blending sound that drifts between the lush jungles of Colombia, the palm-lined streets of 1960s coastal Mexico, and the dusty cantinas of West Texas.

Beginning this evening, they’ll be hard to miss at this year’s SXSW with NINE performances scheduled. 

Since forming in 2024, in Austin, TX the band has quickly struck a chord with audiences and tastemakers alike—including Dan Auerbach, who is releasing their fifth track for Easy Eye Sound today “Mamba Mambo.”

The song is now available at all major streaming services. A brand-new video also debuts today:

“’Mamba Mambo’ is our love letter to the golden-age mambo explosion, filtered through fuzz pedals and Tex-Mex psychedelic soul,” Lopez remaked. “A sweat-soaked celebration of Latin rhythm!”

With musical notes that span well beyond genres like bolero, psychedelic, and cumbia, The Animeros not only make their audience hit the dance floor, but they also invite their listeners and tastemakers alike to glimpse their rich cultural upbringing. Sánchez Colombian roots, growing up listening to his parents’ beloved salsa and cumbia; Lopez’s parents’ Mexican and American discography, which spanned from traditional Tejano to improvised jazz; and Tozzo’s love for American and Latin music, the latter stemming from his college years, leading him to study and live in Colombia to experience music greats first-handedly. All of this, paired with their undeniable chemistry and meshed with their now hometown Austin’s innovative creative sounds, has led them to create the unique sonic movement that is The Animeros, a name inspired by Colombian shamans who would usher lost souls to their peace.

The Animeros and Dan Auerbach connected by luck, fate and chance as he happened to hear the band performing down the block from his hotel room during SXSW last year.  An invitation to join Auerbach at the Easy Eye Sound Studios followed shortly after that.

The band’s debut album is scheduled to be released later this year.