punk this week: la raf, esperanza, stepmother + 9 more
Blurbs and a playlist covering stellar new punk records from Mexico City, Hiroshima, Melbourne, Berlin, and elsewhere.
Hey, it’s Punk This Week, and I’m trying something slightly newer for this week’s recommendations column. In addition to the usual blurbs about excellent new punk records from around the world (La RAF! Esperanza! Tórax y las Extremidades! Stepmother!), I’ve included a playlist that includes the week’s highlights plus new singles from forthcoming records (No Peeling! Edging! Media Puzzle!).
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La RAF: La Rabia Ante el Futuro [Polze de la Mort/Andalucia Über Alles/Cebollas]
The Spanish label Polze de la Mort is behind two of the best punk releases of the week—both by Mexico City bands and both previously self-released by the artists a bit ago. They’re new to me, though, and it’s extremely easy to be completely bowled over by La RAF. The band’s EP La rabia ante el futuro merges post-punk urgency, goth moodiness, and new wave bounce.
The final track is “Violencia,” which starts out really upbeat and then gets burlier as it goes. If La RAF have a secret, it’s in their balancing act between their gruff, dour attack and their pop instincts. I love this vocalist’s attack, too, which is so urgent and charismatic from its high register. The band self-released this EP in February, so thanks to these labels for getting it on my radar at long last.
