DESCARGA.
Holy shit.
That is all I kept thinking when listening to [.DESCARGA.]‘s new EP The Things We Do (due August 9, 2011). From the perspective of an outsider, it seemed as if the band spent the last year or so in a state of transition. There were a couple of line up changes with the most notable being the addition of drummer Anthony Macias. He has been the game changer for these veterans of the latin alternative community. The Things We Do kicks off with The Funeral with Hex sounding like Eddie Vedder before he sold his soul for a ukulele. The driving force of this song is Evil’s piercing guitar but for me it’s the pulsating floor toms and give the song a sobering weight. Keeping true to form, the album is exactly half in English and half in Spanish with the song Tu Eres Yo (You Are Me) beginning that smooth transition between languages. Esperando (Waiting) effectively uses a fuzzy guitar sound to give the song a sense of urgency and Nube Negra (Black Cloud) is the second song sung in Spanish that hits fast and hard.
[.DESCARGA.] is a band that has always paid tribute to those artists who have influenced them and this is never more clearly expressed than in the song Party Girl which invokes the ghost of Ian Curtis with haunting vocals repeating “Wake up party girl ’cause it’s time to go”. If a drummer is the backbone of a band then the bass player is the stuff in between filling in the sound and keeping steady – this is best on display during Party Girl – big ups to J. Calvo. The third and final Spanish song to appear on the EP is Dejame Saber (Let Me Know) with its grungy guitar and stinging lyrics, “yo no lo voy hacer pero lo intento / yo nunca lo voy hacer pero quisiera saber / como ser humano como tu” (google that ish) keeps the bat out of hell energy of this EP up. Closing things out is the previously wormed Chemtrails, a rattlesnake of a song.
[.DESCARGA.] is currently boasting its most solid line up to date with Evil’s confident and powerful guitar to Calvo’s bass, so steady and strong. Hex has never sounded more inspired lyrically and bringing it all together is Macias behind the drum kit. They’ve got a confidence that comes from being comfortable around each other on and off stage; this is band that is firing on all cylinders.
You can preview the tracks Funeral and Dejame Saber below.
On a personal note, this post has been a work in progress since late last year not long after the release of the single, Chemtrails. My plan had been to start writing and then fill in the blanks once new music was released. I even spent some time with the boys at their rehearsal space where the conversation took some interesting turns. (All I can say is life on the road with a van full of boys is never dull.) The band had just added Macias at drums and not long after our meeting the band lost a member. There was a strong sense of wanting to move forward, to start the dirty work that is writing, rehearsing and recording. This EP is very much the product of a band that in a sense had to start over, had to rededicate themselves to their craft and had to work and give these songs time to “cook”. To all four members of [.DESCARGA.] I say: you fuckers were worth the wait. Now don’t make me wait another 8-9 months for the next one.
