Pelada’s mantra is “love us or hate us, we don’t give a fuck.” Over the past decade, the Montreal-based duo of vocalist Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochman have fused punk aggression and politicized lyrics into a mutant strain of hardware techno. Four years have passed since their debut, and after parting ways with former label PAN, Pelada return with a second album that renders their hardcore punk politics even more incisive. Ahora Más Que Nunca (Now More Than Ever) sets the Colombian vocalist’s Spanish-language protest songs and empowerment anthems to ominous electronic beatscapes, matching them in intensity at every step.
On 2019’s Movimiento Para Cambio (Movement for Change), Pelada’s explorations into cumbia and reggaeton sounded more like a disjointed string of singles than a structured collection. The duo is still dancing between acid techno, future jazz, and hip-hop, but on Ahora Más Que Nunca, the increased consistency of Rochman’s production synthesizes these sounds into a uniquely confrontational and genre-agnostic take on club music. Guest appearances from horrorcore rapper Backxwash and trumpeter Aquiles Navarro of Irreversible Entanglements complicate the classifications even further.
Several core themes emerge from Vargas’ urgent electro-punk sermons. “Agua ≠ Mercancía” (“Water ≠ Merchandise”) calls out the Canadian government for its mismanagement of natural resources. “Latido de Extinción” (“Extinction Beat”) echoes the need to rise up against state and corporate greed, as Vargas shouts, “Estamos en tierra robada!” (“We are on stolen land!”) Album opener “La Gente Se Laventa” (“People Get Up”) calls for revolution “hoy, no mañana” (“today, not tomorrow”) before a beat switch arrives to propel Backxwash’s aggressive rhymes about eating their oppressors. “This dirty little life we live,” they spit, “it’s fight the rich, or go on till we ice these pricks.”
As any activist will tell you, meaningful action is not possible without self-care. After a brief introduction about finding inner strength, “Ya Fue” (“It Was Already”) merges vocoder-laced vocals with Navarro’s wandering, echo-drenched horn, like Miles Davis in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. On “Pilas” (“Batteries”), Vargas sings about overcoming doubts and depression, reminding that “un mal día no te define” (“a bad day does not define you”). Their angrily enunciated lyrics pick up speed as bouncing rubber-ball synths are replaced by orchestral percussion samples, giving gravitas to this pissed-off pep talk.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
