Sereias

“Let's start everything again” is as much the opening salvo of Sereias, as a statement of intent from the band after the of 2019's O País a Arder. Sophomore record from this Portuguese combo, coming from a trail of impressive live performances all over the country, this release on Lovers & Lollypops stretches the grimy sound of the band without losing any of its nerve and savagery. Driven by the words of António Pedro Ribeiro, in a poetic torrent of everyday truths and anxieties, Sereias' sound is a dirty and repetitive mantra of pulsating basslines, dissonant guitars, flowing horns, synthesizer stabs and minimal rhythms that connects the wildest moments of Faust with post-punk's urban psychosis through a psychedelic sensibility – like Gong and This Heat jamming in a post-industrial environment – that is part of a certain Portuguese “tradition” of political and literary off kilter rock that seemed lost after the demise of short-lived bands like Bastardos do Cardeal or Nihil Aut Morts and is a perfect fit for the Barreiro aura.