Tuesday 17 April 2018

Balcanes - Decrepita/Decadencia 7"


Labels: Pifia Records/Discos Finu
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 11 Sep 2017

Tracklist:

1. Decrepita
2. Decadencia

Today dragged one-minute and then flew by the next. I was so glad I made it home with my sanity intact. This evening I'm checking out a band that I was e-mailed about back in December of last year. The e-mail itself didn't give a great deal away but it did plug this 7" by Spanish post-punk band Balcanes, whom I'd never heard of before. This two-track single was released via Pifia Records and Discos Finu and it was their third release, following a 7" is early 2014 and an EP in late 2016. Sadly, I'm not able to translate Spanish so I wasn't able to understand many of their social media posts, but I'll let their music do the talking instead.

The screeching feedback at the beginning of Decrepita makes you think that you’re in for some grinding mayhem but in fact what Balcanes deliver is some mid-paced punk with a goth/garage-like twist. It’s full of atmosphere and wallows in subtle misery, with the clean but drawn-out vocals that backed up by brooding musicianship. Definitely darker than I was expecting. 

Decadencia follows with much the same vibe, but with a strange industrial feel. It’s not a comfortable listen and but one that makes sense in the dystopian and cold society that we currently inhabit. There’s a simplistic charm to the music encased in this single and while it may seem too angry for punk fans and not heavy enough for extreme metal fans, that common ground in the middle should endear it to both. There’s plenty to like here.

You can stream the single and purchase it both digitally and in physical form below:-




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