"It felt like a dream" — Orlando's Acoqui talk about making their newest album

When speaking to Acoqui vocalist Alberto Hernandez, he made a vital point of introducing his bandmates as his family, his brothers.

"Music’s our passion, this all comes out of us, because it’s just who we are — and we try to stay true to who we are.”

That family consists of vocalist and guitarist Hernandez, lead guitarist Steve Head, bassist Aaron Borowicz and drummer Tyson Bodiford, longtime friends who have come together alongside other solo endeavors and projects to create one of Orlando’s most distinctive bands.

Their most recent release, Drive By Dream, is a project that has spanned almost a decade, beginning from informal demos and sessions that began to take shape back in 2015, and finally coming to vivid life during the band’s residency at Gainesville’s Pulp Arts Studios.


Drive By Dream’s release has Hernandez feeling like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and he feels that it’s their best-sounding release to date.

"I’ve been holding onto this for so long, and it became personal because you hold it close to your heart, and now it’s something we can finally share with others,” Hernandez says. “I’m excited for people to dive into it and hopefully pick up on all the love and care that was poured into it. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears — literally — involved in the making of this record.”

Hernandez considers Drive By Dream to be an exercise in collaboration, emphasizing the “village it took” to create such a work, including producer Luke Temple of Here We Go Magic and engineer Eamon Ford.

“I think in the past it was more so stacking things and just trying to do more. We were more of a maximalist band in the past, and I think we’re more focused now on what’s necessary and what’s not,” Hernandez says during a phone interview with Orlando Weekly.

Hernandez says that around 70 percent of the album was tracked during the group’s Pulp Arts sessions back in 2019, but the creative process continued throughout the pandemic as the band tweaked and refined the record that was at last released this past week.

With this time, Hernandez and his bandmates were able to augment Drive By Dream with exquisite detail and put intention into each element of production. Hernandez says that while there are many ways for a person to enjoy the album, listening through from start to finish may provide a heightened experience.

“The album is almost a dying concept in the age of Spotify and playlists. We put a lot of thought into it as a group, and we landed on the order of the songs based on what felt like a strong opening, what felt like something that could ease into what we were, the statement we’re trying to make, and then something that would ease out of it,” Hernandez says. “Actually, it’s pretty cool because at the end of the record, the closing track, ‘Armed to theTeeth,’ if folks listen closely, it fades nicely and is in the same key as the opening song, ‘Big Risk.’ It’s like a circle.”

Acoqui’s deep roots in Orlando have not only helped inform their sound and distinction as artists but placed them among a creative community that has uplifted their endeavors over the years. From venues like Will’s Pub to the Social to Stardust Video, Hernandez expresses the band’s immense gratitude for the company that surrounds them.

“Orlando is just unbelievable in that there’s so much support across different mediums and different types of art. Art exists in so many different ways. I think we’ve thrived because we’re all into that stuff, and we support artists in that way too. It’s cool, because it feels very reciprocated,” Hernandez says.

While some members of Acoqui are no longer Orlando locals, with Bodiford in St. Augustine and Head in Gainesville, Hernandez says that the difficulties that may have come with the distance are easier to navigate when working with people who feel like family.

“That feeling of family continues even though we’re now having to navigate being in different cities and playing together when we have the opportunity. It’s made things a little more challenging but we’re excited to make the time together more meaningful,” Hernandez says.

“Music’s just such an important part of my life, so I’m excited that I can share something that I made with my band, my brothers, that is super important and dear to us with other people, so they can make it their own thing,” concludes Hernandez.

“Yeah, all the feels. I feel everything all at once.”

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