Pluto crevé - Chemin neuf
LP. Self-produced
It's through the kind intervention of my friend Christophe, the undisputed leader of Bourre-Pif records, that I discovered this Réunionese band (yes, indeed!). Yet forget your clichés of sun, beach, and cocktails right away, because this very pissed-off quartet deals in punk heavily infused with hardcore, with occasional detours into crust (ouch!). While I'm only discovering them now personally, they boast 12 years of decibels under their belts and thus a solid experience with no less than 3 tours across the European continent through mainland France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and others for a total of 45 dates! With these rapid introductions made, what can be said about this album released in the summer of 2023 ?
Well, it's clearly hairy stuff that blasts, in short, it's musically closer to Discharge than to Last Resort. After that, I must say that what caught my attention above all is the quality of the lyrics. They are well-crafted, rather well-written, and take the time to develop constructed arguments. They speak about protecting the planet and ecosystems, about confinement, about the freedom to choose one's path, about hyper-technologization and the resulting social control, about boozing (gotta do what you gotta do, damn it!), or about the sea, and when you live on an island, it's quite logical. The band can't hide its misanthropic side on "Natura hominis" and the Latin chorus (classy!) that proclaims "Fortunately, the end is near, everything will soon be destroyed...". However, I think I detect a favorite theme among Réunionese people, namely slavery. Whether it's related to the triangular trade with "Bon vent" or current on "Les chaînes": "Beasts of burden who toil in factories in China / Workers deported to Poland by Korea / There's Daesh trafficking women with impunity / In Libya, Africans being sold in markets...". A record filled with rage and awareness.
Val