Pelada - Ahora Más Que Nunca (2023)

The electronic duo Pelada return with their sophomore album ‘Ahora Más Que Nunca,’ which fuses electronic beats with protest and empowerment anthems.

'Ahora Más Que Nunca' (Now More Than Ever), is a boundary-pushing collection of 12 new songs that sees the Montréal electronic-punk duo Pelada delving deeper into their signature sound, to create something even more raw, chaotic, expressive, and direct. It’s often as simple as a voice paired with a beat, but within that framework, meaningful words and unique melodic ideas emerge to craft a work that is both iconic and memorable.

Singer Chris Vargas (they/them) uses efficient, bold language to craft energizing protest anthems from producer Tobias Rochman (he/him)’s electronic compositions such as the anti-cop sing-along ‘Cerdo’ (Pig), which questions the role of privilege and timing in relation to guilt and innocence. While ‘Acabemos con el Femicidio’(Let’s End Femicide) is a clear call to action to end gender-based violence.

Several tracks deal directly with environmentalism: ‘Latido de Extinción’ (Extinction Beat), ‘Agua ≠ No Mercancía’ (Water ≠ Merchandise), ‘Punto de no Retorno’ (Point of No Return) all serve to capture the terror and violence of the impending climate catastrophe while rallying listeners to fight back against the corporate greed responsible for accelerating it. Pelada even take aim at the music industry itself with ‘¿Cuánto por la Transmisión?’ (How Much for the Stream?) which clocks in at only 57 seconds, just long enough to get the point across (and be counted by streaming services as a track).

This new album features notable guest appearances, including a verse from Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, the Zambian-Canadian rapper who won the 2020 Polaris Prize for her album ‘GOD HAS NOTHING TODO WITH THIS LEAVE HIM OUT OF IT’ as well as multiple appearances from the Panamanian-Canadian trumpet player Aquiles Navarro, a frequent collaborator of Moor Mother, best known for his work with the collective Irreversible Entanglements (Impulse! Records, Sub Pop).

Recorded and produced in Montréal, Canada. Mixed by James Ginzburg and mastered by Enyang Urbiks in Berlin, Germany.