Esconder Micara – Equilibrio EP

If you think about the history of screamo and political punk in Chile, the name Esconder Micara will come up sooner or later.

Since 2005, they’ve been making furious political punk around a screamo sound that reminds me of the great French bands like Fingerprint, Jasemine, etc., but always with that natural Latin American approach, especially in their lyrics. 13 years after their first release, La Carga del Ardor (2006), which remains a classic of Chilean screamo, they’ve just released a new EP, Equilibrio, which we’re going to check out right now.

The record opens with a simple and calm, yet melancholic riff—with a really melodic vibe that slowly fades out to give way to a distorted feedback. Esconder Micara start the second song of the EP with a more hardcore oriented sound. The vocals are in a constant change between spoken and screamed parts, almost like a loud sigh. It’s as if the voice is in a constant struggle to find its way out of the body.

In general the instrumentation is very heavy. In a consistent beat and rhythm, most of the melody comes from their signature bass lines. Together with the passionate vocals, they shine through the songs in an eternal dance between textures and sounds.

Samples, mostly in Spanish, are very important because they accompany the political narrative of the band. They’re not afraid to talk about what they care about and what they think is important: anarchism, anticapitalism, a constant critique of the state, repression and the many manifestations of oppressive ideologies in contemporary society. These are issues that we cannot abandon, because they continue to affect our lives. We can’t say these things enough. Maybe one cry isn’t enough, but what if we have thousands? Millions?

Bands and EPs like this one are an example of not just a coping mechanism for our daily routine, but an example of restless hearts and minds, a need to keep punching up and filling our lungs with fresh air. Shall we join them?