Historia Natural

The three members of Colombia's Los Pirañas have been making music together in various guises since the late 90s and their chemistry, as well as their MO of turning Latin America's tropical music upside-down, is evident here. ‘Todos Tenemos Hogar’ is the closest they've ever come to the Peruvian cumbia sound with spiky lead guitar and a glorious laid-back beat, and ‘Palermo's Grunch’ begins like a lost 70s rock classic before veering of into a thick tropical stew. The key to their sound is a fervent rhythm section anchored by sharp bass riffs and a drummer trained in the dark art of timbales. This allows Eblis Álvarez to mould his guitar into myriad sonic shapes.

The results are often unusual. ‘Quedar Bien Con El Oyente’ sounds like Black Sabbath if they had come from Colombia's Caribbean coast. The final track ‘Rechazados Por El Mundo (Pompeya)’ is an all-out part with champeta guitars and shouts and squeals from a delighted audience. Los Pirañas are pushing Colombian music into new places (maybe even pushing too far for some tastes), giving it raw, punk energy with a level of musicianship that knows no bounds.