Jarada – Ma’agal Sina’a

Hailing from Tel Aviv, Jarada is band whose interpretation of punk translates as a real day to day battle to stand for your values, and this new one sided 12″ is a great follow-up to their punishing self-titled record from 2018.

Paring materials from classic 1980s hardcore with much darker and more contemporary attitude, Jarada pound out an aggressive delivery while maintaining a unique feel—truly distinguishable Israeli punk.

Unfortunately, what makes bands from such countries so distinct from the rest of the world is not something we should be so excited about. Yes, the band is really angry with rocking riffs, fast parts and swirling punk chaos, but it’s the dark overtones and seething negativity that makes Jarada worth checking out.

The title Ma’agal Sina’a refers to “A Circle of Hate” in Hebrew. On the record, this manifests in its third song called “A Jewish State is a Circle of Hate.” As you may guess from this and other song titles (“Monopoly on Suffering”, “They Wore You Down, They Burned You Out”, or “Sixth Column”), the band is not afraid to speak out on the political atrocities in their conflict-ridden country. Other tracks are much more personal (“Fed Up With The Future”, “Riddance”, and “I Was in the Army”), but whether if they tackle on questioning the self, humanity or some specific political subjects, they don’t seem to find a a way out of the circle of hate and desperation. Sometimes the outlook is bleak, frustrating and hopeless, but punk music has always been here to reflect on the emotional struggles, political realities, and ethical choices one has to make in a hostile world.

If you like real underground hardcore punk of the raw-and-dirty breed, all I can say is this is fucking brilliant!