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Impotentie's third release was recorded in New York City by a Belgian, a Canadian and an American. The first one was recorded in a Montréal bedroom during Trump's early presidency. The second one was recorded right before the pandemic. This one, right before the genocide.
The first one wasn't that serious. It was about the news sounding like classic 1980's punk tropes again. The record was yellow, like taking a piss.
The second one was a lot more serious. It was a "Belgian" band questioning the bleakest things about Belgium -- its colonial past, its racism, its unwillingness to change. The record was blood red. It came out right in the midst of what felt like a global uprising. The title of the album was seen used as a slogan during BLM protests in Belgium. It felt like things were finally changing.
This record is black because nothing's changed. Those Leopold II statues are still there, and so is the racism. It's about dealing with the disillusion, the cynicism of realizing the fascists are winning. It questions what's bleak about Belgium on a personal level -- memories of growing up in social housing, the endless downpour, the abuse, wanting to leave. "Without Title This Time", because slogans didn't work, nor did the protests. Accepting how bleak things are while pushing onwards, chanting on the final notes that "we keep going".
Our take: Roachleg Records brings us the 3rd release from these punks who are based in Canada, but of Belgian heritage, singing in Dutch and turning their lyrical attention toward Belgium’s history and politics. I’d strongly recommend reading the label’s description for this release, as it succinctly outlines the political and social impetus behind each of Impotentie’s releases so far. They say that Zonder Titel Deze Keer focuses on themes of bleakness and hopelessness, but fortunately the music doesn’t sound dour. In fact, Impotentie’s songwriting chops have only improved, with Zonder Titel Deze Keer rich with interesting sounds, compelling melodies, and inventive arrangements. A cursory first listen might leave you thinking “this sounds a lot like Rixe” thanks to the similarly fuzzy guitar sound and penchant for catchy gang choruses, but the similarities end there, and there’s a lot more to this record than a cool guitar sound and catchy choruses. The guitarist has a real way with a melody (“Nat Vuile Land” almost sounds like early Blink 182 until the gruff vocals kick in), and there are a ton of unique moments like the monk-ish backing vocals in “In De Koolmijn” or the way “Wijken” has this woozy sound to it like the tape is dragging or something. Each song feels rich and substantial, and that Impotentie doesn’t beat you over the head with the same ideas for the entirety of Zonder Titel Deze Keer means that as soon as it finishes playing, you just want to hear it again. Anyone into raw and catchy international punk really needs to hear this.