Juventud Podrida - Control/Encierro EP 7"

Damn, I had no idea that this Panama-based band was still going. I was aware that the singer had found employment in HEZ, but naively thought that JUVENTUD PODRIDA had retired. The band released some solid records in the first half of the 2010s, notably the 1989 EP in 2012 that put them on the map. Good on them for not giving up and continuing to fly the raw hardcore punk flag at home. Control/Encierro is classically executed and well coherent with the Discos Enfermos catalog. Mean and fast Scandi-style rabiozo hardcore punk with direct and snotty vocals in Spanish and fuzzed-out distortion on the guitar but, even without taking the vocals into account, it does sound like a non-Swedish band having a go at the genre (the band must have carefully played some crusty Japanese records from Osaka). The production is very energetic and certainly packs a punch. In theory, the vocals, very reminiscent of traditional old school “hardcore en Español” in terms of singing style, should not totally fit with this distorted käng hardcore sound, but they actually do, and it brings a different vibe altogether. I was going to say “fresh,” but that’d be a bit far-fetched. A strong comeback, and I can imagine JUVENTUD PODRIDA to be crushing live. - MRR