Montana - Necessita

Labels: Crapoulet Records/Smelly Cat Records/Sonatine Produzioni/To Lose La Track/1a0

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 17 Dec 2021

Tracklist: 

1. Allerta

2. Posto

3. Tonsille

4. Decompressione

5. Ribalta

6. Contesa

7. Altitudine

8. Brombo

9. Perimetro

10. Offendicula

11. Scienza

I can't remember the last Italian fast/hardcore punk band I featured here. I've fallen further and further out of touch with the newer wave of punk bands coming through (which, to this day, I still blame on the demise of the MRR print zine). Are there any alternatives to MMR still in print and available? Let me know if so.

Anyway, as alluded to in the opening sentence above, Italian band Montana is my focus for this evening. I only learned about the band in June 2022 thanks to a newsletter e-mail from French label Crapoulet Records. Montana's latest album Necessita was originally released digitally by the band in late 2021 before being released on vinyl in June 2022 via the aforementioned Crapoulet Records, as well as Italian labels Smelly Cat Records, Sonatine Produzioni, To Lose La Track and 1a0. To date Montana has released four full-lengths, one EP and a split record.

I need a decent injection of loudness this evening and Necessita’s opener ‘Allerta’ is exactly that. More punk than noise but really enjoyable all the same with hints to bands like Dark Thoughts and AFI (in places). Those are both US comparisons obviously because my European punk band vocabulary is somewhat lacking at the moment (aside from Sweet Empire and Irish Handcuffs). What’s immediately noticeable here is the crispness of the production, mixing and mastering on the album. ‘Posto’ sounds very crisp instrumentally while the vocal grittiness works really well too.

There’s no meandering going on with Montana’s music and the driving guitars of ‘Tonsille’ sound even better when laid up against the band’s Italian lyrical delivery. The rhythm section of bass and drums keep the tempo in check and bouncing too. ‘Decompressione’ is a more than solid instrumental punk song that’s catchy and to-the-point. There’s a definite pop-punk vibe about it as well!

‘Ribalta’ sees Montana jump straight back into it with raucous punk that contains some killer shouty vocals that sound remarkably clean. Things get a teensy bit more artsy on ‘Contesa’ but only during it’s intro, which has a great off-kilter feel. The rest of the song is pure unadulterated punk in all it’s glory. Loving it! The pause between ‘Contesa’ and ‘Altitudine’ seems almost unnecessary, except for the sample that opens the latter. ‘Altitudine’ follows in completely the same vein as it’s predecessor, keeping the heart racing and the blood pumping.

You might be thinking that ‘Brombo’ is another interlude/instrumental but it’s not. Instead it’s a song filled to the brim with urgency and one that exemplifies Montana’s quality as a punk force to be reckoned with. ‘Perimetro’ gathers that same attitude and injects it with plenty of melodic riffs and a lengthier playing time, which is also characteristic of the album’s closing numbers.

Penultimate banger ‘Offendicula’ channels Montana’s AFI vibes without taking things too far. Such a good song filled with excellent bass lines that propel their way to the forefront of the instrumentation. Album closer ’Scienza’ begins with piano that’s oddly broody before that mood is quickly erased by Montana’s up-tempo punk for one last time. 

This album goes by way too quickly. Montana combine’s subtle heaviness with catchy punk that writes itself really. Musical exploration for the win! Give this a go while you’re heading into the weekend, it’ll sort you right out. Brilliant stuff.

You can stream Necessita and purchase it on both digital, and vinyl formats below:-

Montana - https://www.facebook.com/montanapunkrock

Physical copies can also be purchased from the below labels:-

Crapoulet Records - https://crapouletrecords.limitedrun.com/categories/crapoulet-records

Sonatine Produzioni - https://sonatineproduzioni.bandcamp.com/merch

To Lose La Track - http://www.toloselatrack.org/categories/vinile

Crapoulet Records - https://www.facebook.com/Crapouletrecords

Smelly Cat Records - https://www.facebook.com/smellycatrec

Sonatine Produzioni - https://www.facebook.com/SonatineProduzioni

To Lose La Track - https://www.facebook.com/toloselatrack