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RATA NEGRA are back with two tracks of what at this point has become their trademark sound. A mixture of perfectly balanced vocal harmonies, bouncy punk, surf guitars and melancholic vibes which is highly addictive from the first note.
A side Ella Está En Fiestas takes GIRLS AT OUR BEST and RIK AGNEW on a all night party that borrows a BAUHAUS title, while the hypnotic flip Bien Triste takes us in a downspiral trip emanating the spirit of GOLPES BAJOS, THE RONETTES and even late 70’s BOWIE.
Our take: Bien Triste is the new single from Spain’s Rata Negra, the latest in a growing catalog of records they’ve put out during their long association with La Vida Es Un Mus. I hope the music keeps coming too, because as good as Rata Negra was when they started, they’ve only gotten better since their striking debut LP in 2017. While their sound has always been centered around Violeta’s powerful vocals and the rich interplay between the band’s three musicians, it feels like they’ve gradually expanded their sound, evolving without abandoning their strengths. “Ella Está En Fiestas” wouldn’t have been out of place on any of Rata Negra’s previous records with its booming vocal melodies and chiming guitars, but “Bien Triste” drifts away from the band’s usual punky energy. The song has a complex, maybe even conflicted emotional register. I imagine it playing during a movie scene depicting a senior prom, the characters dizzy from intense doses of nostalgia combined with fear of and hope for the future. It’s something far subtler and more complex than you expect from your typical punk song, and another jewel in this band’s weighty crown.
A side Ella Está En Fiestas takes GIRLS AT OUR BEST and RIK AGNEW on a all night party that borrows a BAUHAUS title, while the hypnotic flip Bien Triste takes us in a downspiral trip emanating the spirit of GOLPES BAJOS, THE RONETTES and even late 70’s BOWIE.
Our take: Bien Triste is the new single from Spain’s Rata Negra, the latest in a growing catalog of records they’ve put out during their long association with La Vida Es Un Mus. I hope the music keeps coming too, because as good as Rata Negra was when they started, they’ve only gotten better since their striking debut LP in 2017. While their sound has always been centered around Violeta’s powerful vocals and the rich interplay between the band’s three musicians, it feels like they’ve gradually expanded their sound, evolving without abandoning their strengths. “Ella Está En Fiestas” wouldn’t have been out of place on any of Rata Negra’s previous records with its booming vocal melodies and chiming guitars, but “Bien Triste” drifts away from the band’s usual punky energy. The song has a complex, maybe even conflicted emotional register. I imagine it playing during a movie scene depicting a senior prom, the characters dizzy from intense doses of nostalgia combined with fear of and hope for the future. It’s something far subtler and more complex than you expect from your typical punk song, and another jewel in this band’s weighty crown.