I can’t remember what took me to Mundo Primitivo’s Paisaje Interior, but Holy shit I’m sure glad who/whatever it was did.
Track 1: ‘Intro’ is an instrumental with a rock ‘n’ roll swagger reminiscent of Duane Eddy’s ‘Peter Gunn’; there’s menace and purpose in the brooding prowl, a cat on the move but always taught and ready to pounce; it turns out to be the calm before the storm.
Track 2: ‘La Fuerza’ fast whips up a frenzy that catches something between 80s UK punk legends Dirt and modern day thunder from down under Amyl and the Sniffers with all the hallmarks of a pit circle anthem.
Track 3: ‘Rito De Muerte’ somehow manages to up the tempo in frantic hardcore fashion, everything crushingly on the mark, while still retaining the catchy hooks prevalent throughout the album.
Information on Mundo Primitivo is thin on the ground. Based in Sydney, Australia, the only member I can get any on is lead singer Melissa López (even the other band members’ names are elusive): originally from Columbia; responsible for the art; in (or perhaps was) another band called Abuso (where with the addition of a male vocalist and a rawer sound things lean a lot more towards the afore referenced Dirt). And that’s it, no social media or anything.
Track 4: ‘Tormenta’ delves back into the moody rock ‘n’ roll with an attitude that showcases Mundo Primitivo’s ability to be intricate, more than capable of accomplished song progression and depth.
Track 5: ‘Despierto’ opens with a blistering onslaught of drums and everything only gets more frantic from there; Melissa’s voice rising like the only sanity in the mayhem.
Paisaje Interior was released in 2021 through both the band’s bandcamp page, plus label Static Shock Records of London, UK.
A detailed statement accompanies the album regarding the political situation in Colombia; to this cause all the album’s proceeds go. When initially released it was available in cassette and digital format, the former now having sold old, while the latter remains available at Name Your Price.
It’s perhaps due to the political activism that so little can found regarding the band or its members. This stinks of punk of the true activist kind.
Track 6: ‘Duelo’ is where things take a turn for the more subtle, though it isn’t long before another riff-roaring fury guaranteed to fill a pit is unleashed.
Track 7: ‘Incendio’ opens with a purring southern rock vibe before hurling itself into another hardcore onslaught, only to then pull everything back for more of that earlier prowling like a cat.
Track 8: ‘Medium’ is ferociously gothic punk. Hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees swirl in the initial mix as the song spirals every upward before breaking into a hot spice evocative of Jack Off Jill.
Paisaje Interior is over before it’s begun; a dazzling brilliance that generally not only has me play it straight away again once, but numerous times. The album hits the nail on the head in every capacity: ferociously stunning vocals; outstanding musicianship; strong song structure; production perfect for the vibe.
The BBC recently reported that elections in Columbia had returned a left leaning government; though with corruption prevalent throughout numerous aspects of the civil service it might only be a mere beginning to bringing change. Nothing’s going to happen overnight, the album’s cause remains a just and current one, and with no guarantee the new administration will actually improve things one iota, may continue to be so for some time.
When selected individually on bandcamp most of the tracks have their lyrics available in both Spanish and English; in places they are poetic as this excerpt from Track 4 ‘Tormenta’:
“This will not be a story of loss
I will no longer seek love in the cracks
Today I feel that the earth move
. . . the sky it screams
Bones crack
There is no more place
for submission to pain
Spilt cups will be forgotten“
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Thanks for reading 🙂
N. P. Ryan
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