Mala Vista

Reviews

Mala Vista Fun-Time LP

It’s hard to even care about this band. It’s mind-numbingly basic, and not in a good way. It uses tired punk rock clichés until it’s dried up. I’ll give it this though, “Juana La Cubana” is pretty good. It has a nice groove and chorus going for it. Aside from that, I can’t really give this LP that many props. It was so boring the first time I listened through it that I practically forgot it even existed until I had to revisit it for this review. It’s not intolerable, it’s just quite dull and boring to my ears.

Mala Vista Ruthless & Toothless LP

I don’t know about the rest of you, but power pop has always struck me as one of the most “dangerous” forms of music—even more so than hardcore and the like. Something about a bunch of tatted-up dudes having the confidence to play sugary-sweet rock’n’roll has one hell of an edge. Lovely album from this NYC quartet. Very reminiscent of EXPLODING HEARTS and EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS, especially with the vocals. They’re not reinventing the wheel here, but the songs are catchy as all hell and the guitars sound great with crisp, soaring riffs. Makes me nostalgic for my younger years, wandering the streets of Chicago after a couple drinks.

Mala Vista Mouth Breeder EP

NYC’s MALA VISTA pack five catchy, fast, rock’n’roll songs onto this EP. The songs have a fun, high-energy, ’77 punk style and a heavy retro undertow. But they don’t just take the genre cues and sit back. Punchy chorus riffs, tidal waves of shredding, and lyrics about fucking up fascists set this record apart. Garage punk has a tradition of avoiding politics, but I think this record proves that rocking out is more fun with a common cause.