The psychedelic, life-affirming music of Rio Kosta has hypnotised a cult level of fandom following a handful of introductory tracks, leading to 3 million streams and 500,000 monthly listeners at Spotify alone. Now the Los Angeles duo are set to spark a new wave of discovery with today’s release of their debut album Unicorn, which includes the focus track ‘Mountain Top’. LISTEN HERE + WATCH ‘MOUNTAIN TOP’ HERE.

Previewed by ‘Ancients’, the title track, ‘Higher’ and ‘It’s Starting’, the Unicorn album flows like a fever dream, with sleek vocal harmonies, mesmerising grooves and world music touch points interwoven to create a set of hallucinogenic summer jams. The self-described “intergalactic children at play” achieve a consistently soothing escapist experience while channelling diverse sonics, with fresh highlights including the funk-fuelled transcendence of ‘The Wheel’ and the Latin flair and sun-bleached backing vocals of ‘Volar Lejos (Like A Feather)’, while ‘Save My Soul’ takes on an almost gospel ambience.

Collectively, Unicorn is an album infused with the spirit of its creation. The multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer and songwriter duo – Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos – met by chance backstage at a festival, each intrigued by the other’s vibe. That feeling of fate intervening was only heightened when their very first jam together resulted in the album’s title track. Since that moment, Rio Kosta has been informed by the bliss of friendship, of losing themselves in playing music, and of jamming deep into the night. That spirit is palpable throughout.

Mike Del Rio says, “The whole ethos of this project has been about friendship, endless creativity and eternal childhood. We hope that if anything, you can feel the level of bliss and love we had while making this album as a first step into the Rio Kosta universe. We’re so grateful for anyone joining this journey and the creative conversation with us as a band and can’t wait to bring this music, the message and the high vibration to all parts of everywhere soon. We appreciate each and every person hopping on the mothership. Phase one is upon us.”

The focus track ‘Mountain Top’ is the beating heart of the record, with elements of the track woven and repurposed into every other song on the set. It creates an off-kilter feeling of instant familiarity while also providing a puzzle of sorts for fans who immerse themselves into the record. The accompanying video was shot in the sand dunes of San Diego and was directed by Zack Mizurik and Jesse Saunders.

Kosta Galanopoulos adds, “This song was a metaphorical and literal mountain to figure out. We experimented with so many different variations but through the finishing process of the album, we ended up taking bits and pieces of each pursuit and including them into almost every other song on the album. In some way we almost had to build this ‘master tapestry’ of ‘Mountain Top’ to pick and sample the elements that would become the rest of the album. It was kind of a mission statement piece for our vibe and sentiment as a band and a proper introduction song to Rio Kosta.”