Pelada's mantra is “love us or hate us, we do nothing.” Over the past decade, the Montreal-based duo of singer Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochman have combined punk aggression and politicized lyrics into a mutated strain of hardware techno. Four years have passed since their debut and after parting ways with former label PAN, Pelada return with a second album that makes their hard-core punk politics even more intense. Ahora Más Que Nunca (Now more than ever) sets the Colombian singer's Spanish-language protest songs and empowerment anthems to an ominous electronic beatscape, matching them in intensity at every turn.
In 2019 Movimiento Para Cambio (Change Movement), Pelada's explorations of cumbia and reggaeton felt more like a disjointed series of singles than a structured collection. The duo still dance between acid techno, future jazz and hip-hop, but they keep going Now More Than Never, The increased consistency of Rochman's production synthesizes these sounds into a uniquely confrontational and agnostic take on the club music genre. Guest appearances from horror rapper Backxwash and trumpeter Aquiles Navarro of Irreversible Entanglements further complicate the classifications.
Several key themes emerge from Vargas' urgent electropunk sermons. “Agua ≠ Mercancía” (“Water ≠ Merchandise”) calls out the Canadian government for its mismanagement of natural resources. “Latido de Extinción” (“Extinction Beat”) echoes the need to rise up against state and corporate greed, as Vargas shouts, “Estamos en tierra robada!” (“We're on stolen land!”) Album opener “La Gente Se Laventa” (“People Get Up”) calls for revolution “hoy, no mañana” (“today, not tomorrow”) before a beat switch arrives to promote Backxwash offensive rhymes about eating their oppressors. “This dirty life we live,” they spit, “it's fight the rich or carry on till we freeze these stingers.”
As any activist will tell you, meaningful action is not possible without self-care. After a brief intro about finding inner strength, “Ya Fue” (“It Was Already”) blends vocally with Navarro's wandering, echoing horn like Miles Davis in a post-apocalyptic wasteland . In “Pilas” (“Batteries”), Vargas sings about overcoming doubts and depression, reminding us that “un mal día no te define” (“a bad day doesn't define you”). Their angrily delivered lyrics pick up speed as rubber ball bouncing synths are replaced by orchestral percussion samples, giving weight to this enraged pep talk.
