When guitarist Thomas Becker approached singer Alicia Solombrino about playing music together, one small thing stood in their way: 4,500 miles to be specific. Becker lived in Bolivia, where he was suing the former president for human rights violations, and Solombrino was in Kansas City, playing with bassist Luis Arana in a side project called The Beautiful Bodies.

Despite the distance, the three began writing songs together, sending rough recordings back and forth. Quickly, they realized that the chaoti…