Tag: GRUNGE

PREMIERE: LO SIENTO’S “BRUJAS”

Sometimes isolation and social withdrawal isn’t conducive to healing from our cumulated hardships. Building up communities that share pain, frustrations, and disappointments is an act of reslience.

The latest release from Lo Siento, Brujas (translation: witches), is a narrative of finding strength and solidarity through femme friendship during times of distress. Based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Lo Siento is Pepa Chan (guitar/vocals), Andrea Mcguire (bass/backing vocals), Allison Graves (drums), and newest member Jake Nicoll (keys/synth).

lo siento 2

Lo Siento: Pepa Chan, Allison Graves, Andrea McGuire
Photo by Knoah Bender

Brujas delivers the same spanish naive punk as their first release, Bingo Bango, but with the addition of pop melodies from Nicoll on keys and synth.

While Brujas delivers a sound that is light, enthusiastic, and cheerful, a deeper look into Chan’s lyrics will reveal that Lo Siento is a very political project that isn’t afraid to talk about all the hard things with all their complexities. Her voice, scrappy yet sweet, sings to us about coping, grieving, and resisting.

Brujas offers consistency. Together, Chan, McGuire, Graves, and Nicoll have developed song-writing that is cohesive and specific to Lo Siento. A standout track, for me, would be Despierta-aahhh, a song about struggling with insomnia (“si me acuesto me desvelo” translation: if I go to bed I wake up). The guitar walk-down that is punctuated by three snare hits really mirrors the way that restlessness can feel.

I think it’s okay to name that Lo Siento is an outlet, and a place of refuge, for when everything you are living is becoming too tough to manage alone.

See Lo Siento live:

March 15th – Brujas release w/ Pillowcount, Black Market Hard-Tack, and Hay Carbon! @ Peter Easton Pub, St. Johns, NFLD.

March 16th – Brujas release @ Fred’s Records, St. John’s, NFLD.

April 13th – Kazoo! Fest, Guelph, ON.

April 15th – w/ Property @ Burdock, Toronto, ON.

April 17th – w/ Property @ TBD, Kitchener, ON.

April 19th – w/ Property @ Black Squirrel Books, Ottawa, ON.

April 20th – Presented by Out of Earshot w/ Property @ La Plante, Montreal, QC.

Contribution by: Nikki A Basset

DEMO REVIEW: “BURY ME/IMPOSTER” BY COY

Coy’s two song demo “Bury Me/Imposter” (released December 14) has elements of pop, elements of punk, and most immediately, a perfect 90s grunge vibe with mellow harmonies that remind me of That Dog.

It’s a well blended good music smoothie. Story Sheidow (guitar and lead vocals) and Jesara Sinclair Friesen (bass and backing vocals) bring institutional punk knowledge (Sheidow drums in Uncle) to Emilee Sorrey’s (drums and backing vocals) pop experience (Sorrey is the front person in Sorrey) and these catchy songs are our reward.

Bury Me’s fuzzy jangle leads to a cool call and response bridge and ends with a brief but crashing finale. Lyrically it’s heavy too, but pleasantly foggy to decipher. I’m applying this song to any falling out I’ve ever had.

Blasting Imposter would do the trick when imposter syndrome creeps in and threatens to ruin a good thing. The driving chorus is a pump up and catchy as hell so get out the way, anyone/thing that’s holding you back.

The demo is like a little taste of what’s to come—the PEI band will record an EP in January, to be released in the spring, which will also mark a year of Coy playing together.

coy

Contribution by: Stephanie Johns (she/her). Stephanie plays guitar in Not You and bass in Moon and has been writing about music for 20 years. She made two cute people that she spends a lot of time with these days.