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Spawning from the northern part of Basque country, Hondartzako Hondakinak return with their debut 12″ after two incredible demos, their stand-out tracks on the MAXIMUMROCKNROLL, Welcome to 2013, and Bordeaux Boredom comps…and finally the fantastic debut 7″ released by yours truly (along with Flower Of Carnage and the band) in 2016. Even though their 7″ went largely unnoticed in the United States, I still stand by my claim that it’s the best 7″ I ever released. This 12″ charges forward with 11 songs of primal, raw, fury in the tradition of raw Basque and Spanish hardcore punk. This is housed in a beautiful full color cover and booklet insert of lyrics, explanations and translations. Mastered by Benjamin Holesapple, split release between Solar Funeral and Destructure.
Our take: As a native English speaker with only the most rudimentary grasp of other tongues, I’m intimidated by band names not composed of English words, particularly if I have to pronounce them. However, I love saying Hondartzako Hondakinak. Just try sounding it out, then repeating it faster and faster until you can say it at a good clip… it’s a satisfying collection of syllables. Anyway, this French band released a killer EP back in 2016 and this 12” is the follow-up. I’d describe Hondartzako Hondakinak’s style as fast, intricate, and impassioned. They remind me of early Husker Du and the bands they influenced (Articles of Faith, early Funeral Oration, Norway’s So Much Hate, etc.) in that the music is fast and cathartic, but you can hear melody bubbling just under the surface. Just check out the track “Borondatezko Morrontza” from this LP if you want to hear what I mean. If you’re a fan of their earlier EP, Bruiarta has a cleaner sound and it's sprinkled with a handful of broad, mosh-able, mid-paced riffs (like the lengthy intro that starts the record), but if you are a fan of that record there’s still plenty of the wicked fast stuff here.