INDIFERENCIA

Punks in the so-called "first world" have little excuse for not paying attention to punk and hardcore coming out of the far corners of the globe. Bands from Borneo to Kazakhstan have their demos on the internet minutes after they are recorded, and a few minutes perusing video sharing sites will have you watching hardcore in Vladivostok and ripping thrash in Maun. While it's true that one can easily fill up their day just trying to keep up with bands from the US and Europe, it's a disservice to both yourself and this thing we call "community" to ignore like minded (and excellent) bands simply due to geographical limitations. I'm not looking any further than myself when I say this, but if you've got the time to dig for that one record, then you've got the time to find that new band from someplace you've never been...but it was different pre-internet. And while today's post is hardly from the far corners of the earth, aside from a comparatively small circle of tape traders and a couple of invaluable magazines most of these bands were completely under the radar at the time. Maybe this is not the best segue into INDIFERENCIA's assault from 1995, but they were the first band I listened to this morning after spending last night talking to punks from Philippines and celebrating the birthday of the person more responsible than anyone else for opening my eyes to a world of hardcore that is far broader than my vision, and who still encourages me to keep looking.

RESPIRADO VIOLENCIA

A six song banger from INDIFERENCIA, throaty hardcore with a healthy dose of NYHC in the mix. While I dig the faster tracks like "Lealtad A Tu Falsedad" more, the vocals (and the assault of crew backing vox) are so perfectly suited to the breakdown laden mid tempo mosh and the chorus of the opening track "Quien Niega To Libertad" is a total crusher regardless of genre descriptors. Modern bands like this tend to present themselves as slick hardcore machines, and seem to market themselves to people that come from I don't know where. But before the lines were drawn...they were all just punks.