'It's The Key To Our Longevity': The Bronx Swap Hardcore Punk For Mariachi Once More

Tyler Jenke

The Bronx's Matt Caughthran discusses the latest album under their Mariachi El Bronx moniker, and how both acts are coming together for their upcoming Australian tour.

The Bronx & Mariachi El Bronx(Credit: Mike Miller; Auzzy Nufable)

The Bronx

2006 marks 20 years since Los Angeles punk outfit The Bronx unleashed their second self-titled album into the world.

A highly-anticipated follow-up to their 2003 debut, the record was well-received thanks to tracks such as Shitty Future, History's Stranglers, and White Guilt, but failed to have the same chart impact that its predecessor did.

Confident with their musical trajectory, The Bronx took something of a musical left turn early the following year, announcing to their fanbase that they had a new record on the way, along with an additional album which saw them embarking on a new mariachi sound. "Both go well with hot sauce, but yet each has a different bouquet," they noted.

This announcement marked the public arrival of Mariachi El Bronx, a project which – as its name indicates – features The Bronx adopting a mariachi sound. As the group's vocalist Matt Caughthran explains to The Music, the origin of this mariachi offshoot was simply part of a desire to never box themselves in.

"We were a rock and roll band, we knew we were a punk rock band, and we always wanted to have that energy, that ideology, and that ethos," he explains.

"But we were very aware of bands that have been doing the same thing over and over for multiple records, and we always wanted to kind of push ourselves to think outside the box, create outside the box, and just to be that type of band.

"That was kind of our mission statement from the beginning and a lot of our fans got that and understood it," he adds. "And so they kind of knew that this is a band that is gonna throw some screw balls at me; 'They're gonna throw some curves every now and then, and that's part of the reason why I like 'em.'"

By his own admission, it was a relatively terrifying undertaking to launch such a different-sounding project. After all, one could argue that the Venn diagram of typical fans found within a mosh pit at The Bronx's gigs and those actively listening to mariachi music represents a relatively small subsection of the population.

"I don't think anyone saw Mariachi El Bronx coming," Caughthran muses. "It was way out there and we knew that everyone was going to think we were either joking – which they did – or that it wasn't going to be good or whatever. And we didn't know, honestly."

Inspired by the Latin American culture present within their native California, the project initially began with the group trying out their track Dirty Leaves, adopting guitarrón, horns, and vihuelas along with different strumming patterns to see how it translated.

It was here that The Bronx realised they had effectively opened up a door which they decided to walk through – one which led them to writing original songs and creating a full record.

"That was probably the gutsiest move and the nerve-wracking time just looking back at it," Caughthran remembers. "I mean, even trying to find a label to put it out. They were like, 'What are you guys talking about?'

"That first step is always the toughest one, but lucky enough for us, the majority of our fan base – minus a couple people who were diehard, tried and true aggressive punk rock fans for life, God bless 'em – they welcomed it with open arms and they dug it."

That first record – a self-titled release dubbed Mariachi El Bronx in accordance with the group's traditional naming conventions – arrived on September 1st, 2009. The album was ultimately issued via the Swami Records label, whose founder – John Reis – had initially given The Bronx a boost when his band Rocket From The Crypt took them on tour in 2002.

One week after its arrival, the band were back in Australia, performing both as The Bronx and Mariachi El Bronx. They even took time to dip into the triple j studios, where they offered up a stunning rendition of original tune Cell Mates and a cover of Prince's I Would Die 4 U for the Like A Version series.

This double-header concert tour was a smart undertaking. For diehard punk fans, it proved that The Bronx could still co-exist alongside its Mariachi counterpart, and offered a unique outlet for the musicians in both bands to showcase their versatility and diversity.

"As a music fan, I think it's hard to not like it," Caughthran notes. "The idea, the execution, and just taking that creative risk and step to learn another culture's music and, to throw yourself into it… I don't know, I've always been super proud of the project and super stoked on it.

"I get some people might not like it musically – it might not be their thing, but ever since we released the first song, man, people have been cool. I think we were nervous about it, but I think we found out pretty quickly that people were receptive and people liked it."

Since the release of that first album by Mariachi El Bronx, both bands have continued to release new music. The Bronx have released three more self-titled albums (the most recent of which arrived in 2021), and Mariachi El Bronx released two more albums in just five years.

However, since 2014 no new music from their other musical persona has arrived. Sporadic live shows have taken place, effectively proving that Mariachi El Bronx no está muerto, but those wanting a new album have been left wanting. So, to put it bluntly; por que?

"We knew eventually that we were gonna come back to El Bronx," Caughthran explains. "We did the third record, but after that cycle had kind of worn down and we switched back to The Bronx, we did The Bronx V and The Bronx VI, and those records had full tour cycles. I mean, we went worldwide with those.

"In 2023, we were approaching 20 years of The Bronx, so that was something that we really wanted to celebrate and make sure that we got to play some shows. We did a fair amount of touring and we rereleased the first record for the final time and all that stuff.

"So that was like a big moment for The Bronx, and it felt like a great place to put it on a shelf for now," he continues. "You know, 'Let's switch over to El Bronx.'"

Indeed, that is what The Bronx did, writing and recording their fourth album under the Mariachi El Bronx moniker – fittingly titled Mariachi El Bronx IV. It's a stellar piece of work that shows that even after 12 years away, Mariachi El Bronx are still at the top of their game, and writing music which may in fact be the best they've made to date.

As Caughthran notes though, this ability to adopt the different musical personas is something of a blessing – allowing both sides of the group's musicality to continue into the modern age.

"We're street musicians, we're hardworking, working class, punk rockers, and so it's like nothing is handed to us," he explains. "We work for everything that we get and that we've got and we love it. You have to love it to do it for a living, and to do it for this long and with all the ins and outs and the changing of the music industry and the world and all this stuff, you have to really, really love it.

"Without being able to bounce back and forth between bands, without having the super loud, aggressive, crazy side of The Bronx and the super intricate, beautiful, poetic, loving side of El Bronx… I don't know if we'd still be here talking.

"Eventually, we would've run aground with The Bronx or just hit a wall in a way that would've been tough to maybe recover from."

Indeed, even bands whose fanbases are as voracious as The Bronx can hit a period of creative and mental burnout that can drastically affect the future of the group. As Caughthran notes, however, it's especially easy for it to happen to groups who aren't "super famous" like they aren't.

"To be able to be like, 'Okay, we've been banging our head against the wall, jumping into crowds, getting beer thrown at us, fucking screaming into a microphone ,and just going crazy going a hundred miles an hour for the past decade, let's switch gears," it's like realising absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"So it's like the more we do El Bronx, the more we can't wait to return to The Bronx and vice versa. So for us, it's the key to our longevity."

Of course, with a new record by Mariachi El Bronx out in the world today, fans need not worry about a 12-year gap affecting The Bronx by any means. However, while The Bronx VII is definitely on the cards, we might first be getting another one-two punch from El Bronx.

"At this point we have a lot of El Bronx songs that we're kind of still working on and writing, and I would say that it's leaning like it's gonna be Mariachi El Bronx IV, the touring cycle, and then Mariachi El Bronx V before The Bronx VII," Caughthran muses.

"One of the things we're tossing around with the idea of this Super Show thing is that we've wanted to bring both bands together live for a long time, but we've never wanted to merge both bands sonically on an album.

"We like the way The Bronx sounds and we like the way El Bronx sounds, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do a split EP or something together where we had The Bronx on one side and El Bronx on the other side," he adds.

"So that's something that we might see at some point in the near future as well. I think that going off the energy that we're building off of these Super Show ideas and upcoming dates, it's definitely something that is probably going to happen."

As Caughthran mentioned, the group's Super Show sees both The Bronx and Mariachi El Bronx partaking in band-on-band action as they perform two separate sets around the world. Following a couple of album launch events in their native California, the band will be heading to Australia in late February launching The Bronx's first tour of the country since 2023, and Mariachi El Bronx's first since 2016.

Indeed, it's going to be an entirely new experience for fans of both acts. While fans have seen both bands on the same bill before, Caughthran explains that this is a totally new way of operating, with both bands performing in one set.

"When the band started, we cared about every single detail," he explains. "We would always think about these creative ways to go from song to song – little interludes and, What if we cut out the ending of this song by half a beat and we drop it and go straight into this song?'

"After a 20-year career, records, touring, travel, and all this stuff, sometimes those are the details that you just kind of like. You just get to a club and you just fucking focus on banging the songs out and having a kick ass show some of those details, they get lost a little bit.

"Figuring out the segues between how we're going from a Bronx song into an El Bronx song has really kind of reopened that like a creative portal to the details of the set," he adds. "What we're putting together is really cool. It's really unique, it's super special, and I can't wait for people to see it and hear it."

These forthcoming shows will be the latest time the group has been back on Australian shores in their storied career. Celebrating 24 years as a band this year, March marks the 22nd anniversary of The Bronx's first local show. In the ensuing decades, it's been hard to get rid of them. In fact, near-annual shows were disrupted only by COVID, with this upcoming tour set to mark their 15th time getting the passports stamped by customs.

So, what is it about Australia that keeps The Bronx coming back?

"It's an inspiring place for us," Caughthran explains. "I mean, we feel really good when we're there – there's no other way to describe it.

"It's always been a great place for us musically and creatively. We've written songs in Australia, we've had so many successful shows in Australia, there's such a great history of rock and roll there, and there's such a great vibe at the shows with the crowd.

"We've got so many friends ,we've played everything from the Big Day Out to Soundwave, to Bluesfest to Meredith, and everything in between," he adds. "And every time we go, it still feels inspired and t just feels so amazing – it's a great place for us to try new things for the first time. We always just feel comfortable and creatively at home there."

While Mariachi El Bronx have now dropped one of their finest records to date, and Caughthran has promised us that further records are on the way for both sides of their musical personas, the only thing left is to wonder about how the two acts are going to actively combine with their upcoming Australian tour.

"If you're a Bronx fan, you're going to get the fucking Bronx," he explains. "The Bronx is gonna be there and it's going to kick ass. If you're an El Bronx fan, you're going to get El Bronx. You're going to be able to dance, you're going to be able to sing along. And if you're a fan of both, you're going to be fucking stoked.

"And the beauty of it is that there's going to be something new that we've never done before, that fans of both bands are going to be able to enjoy. It's kind of the craziest thing we've ever done, and I'm really excited about it. So these shows are gonna be pretty special."

Mariachi El Bronx’s Mariachi El Bronx IV is out today, with tickets to The Bronx and Mariachi El Bronx’s upcoming Australian tour on sale now.