I discovered Pelada when they were a last-minute addition to the 2022 Levitation France music festival. They closed one of the stages with a powerful performance of dance-punk ragers that had everyone jumping. I didn’t know anything else about them at the time, so I started looking.
Fast forward a couple years later, and here I am finally getting around to reviewing their excellent 2019 album Movimiento Para Cambio (Movement for Change). The album’s title is pretty much the band’s mission statement – making people get off their asses to demand change in the world and make needed changes in ourselves.
“A Mí Me Juzgan Por Ser Mujer” (“I Am Judged Because I’m a Woman”) blends Tobias Rochman‘s house beats with Chris Vargas‘ lyrical kick in the crotch to “bro culture,” toxic masculinity, and the maddening expectations put on women across the world. “Ajetreo” (“Hustle”) will have you doing just that on the dance floor, as it sounds like Rochman and Vargas plucked it from a Barcelona rave club in 1993.
“Habla Tu Verdad” (“Speak Your Truth”) has Vargas encouraging victims of sexual harassment to tell their stories and push back against such treatment. Rochman’s house beats and synths on it are a great contrast to Vargas’ snarling rage. The beats turn into slightly industrial bloops, bleeps, and buzzes – mixed with killer synth-bass – on “Asegura” (“Secure”), which tackles the pervading menace of technology and surveillance.
It can’t be a coincidence that “Granadilla” (“Passion Fruit”) is the sexiest song on the album. The beats are made for making out, and Vargas’ voice curls like honey being poured into hot tea. “Caderona” (“Big Hips”) adds some slight robot-like distortion to some of Vargas’ vocals in a song about staring right back at the male gaze as the dude gets more and more uncomfortable. “Desatado” (“Untied”) will make you race to the dance floor, free of attachments, expectations, and limitations – which is the point Pelada has been making for the entire album. Rochman’s synths on ‘”Perra” (“Bitch”) become sharp and jagged while Vargas’ vocals soften in presentation, but not in fury. A message in the liner notes of the album is “Open your eyes. The beast feeds on exploitation.” This is especially noted on “Aquí,” which is about the rising power of global corporations.
Pelada’s name translates as “Peeling” – another call to strip away labels, expectations, and hindrances put upon us. This whole album does that and makes you dance at the same time. Dance-punk isn’t easy to make, and many times it comes off as either trite or trying too hard to make a point. Movimiento Para Cambio hits the sweet spot on every track.
Keep your mind open.
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