Why Thee Sinseers Put Their Parents on 'Love Stories': East Los Angeles, California's Chicano Soul Nonet

East Los Angeles, California soul band Thee Sinseers put their parents on the cover of their new album, Love Stories. The cover photo shows bandleader Joey Quiñones's mother and father in 1979, right after they graduated from high school, according to the Houston Press. "Those are my parents!" Quiñones told the paper.

Why the parents are on the cover

It isn't just the front. The bassist's parents appear on the back, and other members' parents turn up elsewhere in the package, the Houston Press reports. Their real-life love stories are part of the record's visual identity, per BroadwayWorld.

That fits an album about love in all its forms, romantic, familial and personal, as The Pier described it. "Love is never-ending. It stretches beyond lifetimes," Quiñones told BroadwayWorld.

Marching band kids, Chicano soul lifers

The nine-piece formed in 2019. Its members grew up together in school marching bands, then worked the pub scene in East Los Angeles, according to the Houston Press. For Quiñones, Chicano soul is about identity: "It's not necessarily a sound, it's a feeling."

Love Stories arrived Sept. 18 on Colemine Records as the follow-up to their debut LP, Sinseerly Yours. Unlike the debut, which evolved over time, it was planned from the start, with each member's role mapped out before the sessions and final mixes handled by Kelly Finnigan, The Pier reported. Quiñones called it "a solidifying statement of where we are now."

The singles tell the story: "Did Ya Know?," "Let's Fall In Love (Again)," "How Lonely Is Lonely" and "There She Goes," which blends western reverb guitar with horns. Skip Heller contributed string arrangements.

Love Stories on the road

The band played a hometown show at the Wiltern on Oct. 17 with The Aggrolites. This week the tour hits Texas with The Charities: McAllen's Cine El Rey on Oct. 28, a sold-out Heights Theater in Houston on Oct. 29, Stable Hall in San Antonio on Oct. 30 and The Kessler in Dallas on Oct. 31.

After stops in Denver, Fort Collins and Salt Lake City, the run closes Nov. 6 at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Mexico City's Corona Capital festival follows Nov. 20, then a December run from Boston to Washington, D.C.

Quiñones told the Houston Press the best part is the crowd: "seeing grandparents, parents, kids, and even babies at the shows."

Where to listen and follow

Love Stories is out now on Colemine Records. Find it on Colemine's Bandcamp.

Sources

Houston Press — "Thee Sinseers Pump the Heart of Chicano Soul"
The Pier — "Thee Sinseers Announce Love Stories, Share New Single "Did Ya Know?""
BroadwayWorld — "Thee Sinseers to Release New Single THERE SHE GOES"