“Paradise” the latest single from the international London based rock and roll organisation Los Pepes. “Paradise” is a 100 mph poignant punk rock juggernaut. Combining dreamy reverb soaked pop minor key melody with supercharged hardcore punk energy and chaos. It’s the Beach Boys meeting Black Flag…on the burning sand. The verse lyrics are a simple combination of messages written on the front of cheap postcards that taken out of context mean a lot more that “I wish you were here”. “Paradise” combines the plaintive with the punitive as it crashes home a mixed message of melancholy and aggression.
Out Of The Void is Los Pepes 6th LP and its 12 back-to-back classics. Super catchy tales of nihilism, love and heartache in a seemingly futureless world of political turmoil filled with conspiracy, stupidity and existential threat…that is the “void”. It’s power pop but not as you know it. Sonically it’s different… broken glass “out of this world” dreamy reverb-soaked surf guitar hooks cut across a garage punk Ozzy vocal line, which is pointedly melodic. Lightspeed “loco live” punk rock hi hat accelerates in lockstep with tight downstroke guitars to glue together short well-crafted pop explosions that barely cross the 2-minute mark. The only time the record shifts down a gear is to make way for a Reigning Sound-esq garage Hammond that fill’s the gap a slower pace leaves and pulls at the heart strings a little while. Then it’s time to hurtle onwards again for more adrenaline infused frustration. It’s an infectiously dark, yet life affirmingly bright and exciting album that takes you out of the abyss with the daylight of 100mph rock and roll. Advisable to play loud. Loud enough to raise the dead from Joey Ramone to Jay Reatard…. Listeners can now get their ears around.
