Herba Mate

HERBA MATE is an Italian trio formed in 2000 by Alessandro Trerè (bass, vocals), Andrea Barlotti (guitar), and Ermes Piancastelli (drums). Their music draws inspiration from the vast California deserts—the birthplace of Desert Rock and Stoner Rock, and home to influential bands such as Kyuss, Fatso Jetson, Queens of the Stone Age, Yawning Man, and Fu Manchu. From their base in Italy, the three friends reinterpret these lysergic sounds through psychedelic dynamics, deep low frequencies, and hypnotic riffs, adding a distinctly Romagna-flavored edge. The band’s name refers to yerba mate, the traditional South American infusion often consumed as part of a ritual.

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In 2005, Herba Mate released their first recordings on the self-produced EP A Desert Section. Three years later, they began work on their debut album, The Jellyfish Is Dead and the Hurricane Is Coming, recorded at Sputnik Studio in Predappio and released in August 2009. Predominantly instrumental, hypnotic, and experimental, the album captures the transition from adolescence into adulthood, evoking a journey through a desert where the horizon remains an ever-shifting mirage. In 2012, the record was pressed on vinyl by Italian label Blinde Proteus.

 

In 2013, they performed at Maximum Festival alongside California’s Fatso Jetson. The encounter inspired Early Shapes, a split album released on vinyl by Go Down Records in 2014. The band continued to build its reputation onstage, sharing bills with Fu Manchu, Pontiak, Damo Suzuki, Brant Bjork, Yawning Man, Psychic Ills, and many others.
 

After a decade-long hiatus, Herba Mate returned in April 2024 with the single Boogie Mouse / Sì è Lei, released as a 7-inch vinyl by Edig, the legendary Italian label founded in the 1960s. The trio is now working on its new album.

 

 

LINEUP

Alessandro Trerè | bass, vocals

Andrea Barlotti | guitar

Ermes Piancastelli | drums

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Herba Mate on Spotify