Two years after releasing the Frontiers Edge EP, the Budos Band are returning with their first full-length since 2020s Long in the Tooth. Titled simply VII, the new album sees them doing what they do best: laying down hypnotic, horn-spiked grooves that menace and mesmerize in equal measure. Produced by Budos guitarist Tom Brenneck with Simon Guzmn engineering, VII features 11 tightly constructed new tracks that draw on the groups wide range of influences, sounding like only the Budos can. Its music for getting down, for nighttime drives, and for alternate headspaces a beguiling mix of mystery and rhythm that stands with the formidable work theyve released in their two decades of recording. VII was recorded in California and serves as the Budos Bands first full-length album on Diamond West, the independent label founded in 2023 by Tankel and Brenneck. Its also the groups first album to include instrumental contributions from percussionist Rich Tarrana, who previously played in the Frightnrs. All told, it succeeds in opening up some new sonic spaces while staying tethered to the intuitive, unique musicality that made them such a sensation from the jump.