Basset Hounds are Afonso Homem de Matos (drums), António Vieira (guitar), José Martins (bass) and Miguel Nunes (guitarra and lead vocals). After releasing three EP’s edited between 2011 and 2014, and the participation in many of Lisbon’s concert halls, it was in October 2015 that the band’s first LP is edited by NOS Discos (cd) and Pontiaq Records (cassette).
The good reviews by the portuguese press and the public’s warm reception allowed the band to present their work in some of the main portuguese music festivals (Lisbon Psych Fest, NOS Alive!, NOS Em D’Bandada, Super Bock Super Rock, Party Sleep Repeat!, Indie Music Fest among others) and concert halls throughout the portuguese indie rock circuit. After the one year hiatus in 2017, dedicated to the composition of a second LP, "II" is released in April 2018, through the portuguese label Pontiaq Records. In 2019, along with a tour across Portugal's circuit, the band is set for an international tour across Europe.
"II" is the second LP by Basset Hounds and reflects the ripening of the years that went by since their debut LP. From their previous work, it takes the ambition of finding, or at least searching, new horizons in the composition process, attempting to paint the known limits with new textures, but always taking into account its origins, represented by the solid rhythmic component and by the rattling guitars. The cadency of the creative process has culminated in the integration of new musical influences (such as funk, jazz, popular portuguese and brazilian music and classical compositions), new methods and new instruments that extrapolate the initial formation. Far from following an objective, "II" has grown side by side with the group members. The writing of the songs followed the rhythm of the everyday life in a process that has never really found the songs’ closed, mirroring the days when the first guitar riffs were created and at the same time, the days when the last chords were recorded. This work reflects from moments such as the summer afternoons spent by the pool or the rehearsals in dim lighted rooms and its’ release marks an important moment for the band, as it found a new home where it could settle. The lyrics in the songs were all received by mail from unknown senders, and their meaning remains a mystery, even to the band members (no, not really). Similar to their first LP, "II" was recorded in Black Sheep Studios, in Lisbon, by Guilherme Gonçalves (Cóclea) and Bruno Xisto, and mastered in Sá da Bandeira Studios, in Oporto. This work features the participation of other musicians, mainly Francisco Menezes on the saxophone, David Alves on the violin, André Isidro on keyboards and Luís Grade Ferreira on the trumpet. It was released in April 2018 through the portuguese label Pontiaq Records with a sold out concert in Casa Independente, in Lisbon. In the end of 2018, the album 'II' was included in some national and international press '2018 best album rankings', namely Blitz magazine (pt), Expresso newspaper (pt) and No Sólo Fado (es).