Some reviews are written after years of listening to a band and knowing nearly everything about them. Sometimes I listen to a record on repeat for weeks before I even look up the correct song titles – Deseos Primitivos (Primitive Desires) is the latter. This promo came to SPB as literally a one sentence quote about the band and its minimalism intrigued me. Some Bandcamp homework delivered the goods and I decided to dive in deep.
Lineas de Muerte (Death Lines) is a 6-song EP that’s about 10 minutes in total. While the songs are all short, fast ‘n’ loud punk, there’s good variety on this record. Overall I’ll call it high energy, anxious punk rock with clean guitar tones and a mood somewhere between aggression and apprehension. It has that post-apocalyptic vibe I get from a lot of LA bands, but with a bit of that Oakland grit (and prominent bass). The band is based between Oakland and LA according to that one-sentence description so, in hindsight, they nailed it with their brevity.
I normally despise reading a track by track review, but I think this 6-songer fits the format. “Cardenas” is a hardcore-paced heavy jam: an urgent, fist-pumping tone-setter for the LP with traded vocals that make you want to singalong and pretend you speak Spanish. “No Soy Yo” manages to kick it up yet another notch -- this is the kind of punk rock where the drummer is drenched in sweat by the end of a 15-minute set. It mixes fury with traded choral chants and a wiry, angular bridge. The title track, “Lineas de Muerte,” shifts the mood, going a little darker and showing some vocal range beyond the shouts. It’s frantic, but with subtle post-punk and goth punk twists.
It’s a stretch to call “Animal Nocturno” poppy, but it’s the most upbeat of the six songs and carries some classic East Bay punk elements with impressive melodies. It flows smoothly into “No Culpes,” then we get “No Nacimos,” which is a perfect meet-in-the-middle between the angry Side A and just slightly more sunny Side B. It’s a singalong catchy song with angular guitars and a blend vocal tradeoffs and harmonies.
If ’77-’84 is your jam listen to this record. While Lineas de Muerteis absolutely in-the-now, it’s blessed with a timeless energy, mood, and flow that nods to the classics. I’ve been listening to this daily for a few weeks now and it never gets old.
