Reviews

Ugly

Boom Boom Kid Souvenir Tour Europeo 2022 7″

Date yourself by saying that you remember BOOM BOOM KID’s debut Okey Dokey like it was yesterday. Now note that this EP was released for the European tour that marked the 20th anniversary of that timeless slab of melodic punk and…sigh. But they’re still at it, and these two songs are some of the best BOOM BOOM KID material I’ve heard. Tuneful and tune-filled infectious punk fronted by Nekro’s inimitable and eponymous tenor voice. Equally perfect for long-time fans like me or soon-to-be converts like…you?

Fun People Angustia No, No: 2 Songs Demo Outtakes flexi 7″

Easily the most niche release I’ve encountered in an extended minute, this flexi serves up an exceptionally brief yet fascinating entry point into the otherwise dense and eclectic catalog of this long-running Argentinian band. It takes less time to listen to these two songs than it does to read their Wikipedia page by a few minutes at least. Culled from what appear to be practice tapes, Angustia No, No gives a vignette impression of frantic, rudimentary hardcore that would spawn six-plus albums from a group that would dabble in genres as varied as “reggae, pop, tango, thrash metal, and others,” per said Wikipedia article. These songs are quite cool and interesting but I didn’t have to go too far down the rabbit hole to determine that FUN PEOPLE aren’t for me. For a super-fan, this piece of floppy plastic could just be a prized possession.

Lost Chikitos Sonido Marabunta LP

I don’t know where to start with this one. This record is weird as hell. I guess I would classify LOST CHIKITOS as an experimental metal band: lo-fi, grim black metal howling mixed with Moog squelches, blastbeats, and tremolo picking. But then, sandwiched in between the blasts, sits an odd instrumental track that sounds like someone pressed the “demo” key on a Casio keyboard. It lasts for like two minutes, and then the blasting and screaming start again. But wait, there is another break for a mellow acoustic guitar sing-along. Then more blasting. It seems like a joke, but these folks pressed it to vinyl, which makes for a pretty elaborate joke. I kind of like it just because of how fucking bonkers it is, so check it out if you like noisecore, electronic experimentation, or abruptly ending parties with your musical selections.