HONCHO by Rhumba Club
Rhumba Club today releases his new album HONCHO, a forty–minute, through composed queer odyssey that resists neat narratives and commercial polish.
“I wanted HONCHO to reflect an authentic queer experience: messy, uncertain, sometimes ravenous, other times despairing,” Rhumba Club explains. “It charts a journey many queer people will recognise: escape, naivety, reality checks, learning the codes, and emerging tougher, though perhaps with something lost along the way. This is my queer odyssey, not the polished narrative pop culture often prefers, but unvarnished.”
Heavily influenced by Patrick Cowley and the vintage aesthetics of gay magazines, HONCHO situates itself proudly within a queer lineage while refusing to flatten into two dimensions. Its unsettling synths, candid lyrics, and refusal to package queerness into something “digestible” mark the true formation of Rhumba Club’s artistic identity. “For years, I’ve struggled to fit into a commercial box: not gay enough, too queer, too emotional, too retro,” he reflects. “Where I’ve landed is simple: the gatekeepers are wrong. That very combination of emotionality and queer musical tropes is what makes Rhumba Club unique.”
Rhumba Club is proof that with artistic conviction, drive, and talent, it’s possible to carve a non-traditional path in the music industry. Having caught the attention of both Patrick Wolf — who features on the lead single ANIMAL/LOVER — and acclaimed Czech filmmaker David Ondříček, who includes “Talk Me Into It” and Falle himself in the climactic scenes of his upcoming film, Rhumba Club continues to attract some of the most distinctive and compelling creatives — a testament to the vibrant community he’s building around himself.
HONCHO is as much a critique as it is a celebration. It reckons with app-based yearning, dubious massages, relentless body counts, and depression, while never losing sight of the joy and fun threaded through queer culture. Co-produced and mixed by Mikko Gordon, the album closes with a guest appearance from Patrick Wolf, underscoring its proud embrace of queer community and lineage.
Dedicated to Patrick Cowley, Patrick Wolf, and Benjamin Canares, HONCHO is best experienced in one sitting, uninterrupted, from first note to last. “Do it the old-fashioned way,” Rhumba Club says. “Put on your best headphones, grab a beverage, and go full HONCHO.”
This album has been supported by ArtHouse Jersey, Help Musicians & the PPL Momentum Music Fund. PPL Momentum is managed by PRS Foundation, with support from PPL, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Creative Wales.
Tracklist
| 1. | Intro | 0:33 |
| 2. | Odyssey | 3:08 |
| 3. | Talk Me Into It | 3:22 |
| 4. | Happy Ending | 3:28 |
| 5. | Mr Motivator | 3:52 |
| 6. | Shedding My Skin | 3:06 |
| 7. | HONCHO | 3:47 |
| 8. | Cheap Talk | 4:37 |
| 9. | Rhumba Club (feat. Juno Francis) - Baby, Don't Say You Love Me | 3:30 |
| 10. | Numbers | 3:17 |
| 11. | Rhumba Club feat. Patrick Wolf - Animal/Lover | 4:06 |
Credits
Tracks 1-9 written by Tom Falle
Track 10 written by Tom Falle & Patrick Wolf
Additional Percussion by Jack Darvill (Wilderbeast)
Produced by Tom Falle & Mikko Gordon
Mixed by Mikko Gordon at Hackney Road Studios
License
All rights reserved.
Rhumba Club is Jersey born synth-pop artist/producer Tom Falle.
Inspired by Talking Heads, Blood Orange & Disco, he reworks familiar tropes to create a retro-futuristic escape - the Rhumba Club.
Since its inception in 2019, Rhumba Club’s mission has been to provide a space where social norms and personal demons are left at the door, whilst queerness and beautiful weirdos hold fort within.