Alex Garcia and Sal Samano (formerly of Fake Tides) began cutting bedroom demos of rhythm tracks together in 2019. Both multi-instrumentals, Alex migrated from the guitar to the drums, while Sal learned bass. The duo used Instagram to recruit City Heights singer Josh Lane, a former Sacramento music student who relocated to San Diego in 2017, to form soul-inspired trio Thee Sacred Souls (their name a partial nod to Chicano rock heroes Thee Midniters).
"When playing live, we have back up singers and a guitarist," says Garcia. "While Sal and I are multi-instrumentalists who write the music, Josh is mainly all about singing." The members are based in southern San Diego. "I'm from Chula Vista, Sal is from Imperial Beach. We both record in my home studio in Chula Vista."
After their first club date, they were signed by Daptone Records producer and co-founder, Bosco Mann (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings), and within days were at work at Mann’s Riverside studio. Their 2020 single “Call I Call You Rose?” was the debut release from Mann’s Penrose Records, an imprint under Daptone. The track went on to top a million online plays.
To match their vintage soul sound, the band records their tracks on vinyl, debuts them in physical form, and then releases the singles on music-streaming platforms and YouTube. According to the trio, "Our commitment to analog contrasts the quick-fire nature of many other artists within the increasingly digital industry." Summer 2020 saw a new single release, "“Give Us Justice.”
In early 2021, the Black Pumas shouted out the soul band's track "Give Us Justice" as “The song that will define 2020 for me” via Rolling Stone magazine. The tune was written in response to the death of George Floyd, with proceeds donated to organizations promoting the freedoms, rights, and well being of black people.
Thee Sacred Souls dropped a new single in February 2021 via Daptone Records imprint Penrose Records, especially themed for Valentine's Day, "It's Our Love," with an accompanying video. "We wanted to capture candid moments of our time at the Penrose studio and hangin’ with our crew around San Diego for the video," says the band. "We reached out to our friend David Lampley, who specializes in Super 8 analog film. His experimental shooting style along with the visual quality of Super-8 film fit the laid back and dreamy mood we envisioned." The single was backed with "Will I See You Again?"
Their self-titled debut album on Daptone Records dropped August 26, 2022, previewed with singles "Will I See You Again" and "It's Our Love," as well as a video for "Easier Said Than Done" The album was produced by Daptone co-founder Gabe Roth.
2024 saw the release of their sophomore album via Daptone Records, Got A Story To Tell. On December 5 of that year, they performed "Lucid Girl" on the Jimmy Kimmel Live late night television show.