No Love, Turbopotamos

NO LOVE Turbopotamos, Peru
DISCOS GORDOS

by: Carlos Reyes

Music blogs made incredible warm buzz about this Peruvian band, many highlight the band’s similarities with Britain’s Artic Monkeys. Truth is Turbopotamos goes beyond new wave, their music seems to place itself in the hands of rockabilly, it is first-class retro music that is accessible enough to help the band internationalize. Less alternative than their fellow Peruvian band Libido, and overshadowed by pop, the band has struggle to create a support fanbase. Less than 20 thousand hits on myspace for the a country’s most promising band shows how Turbopotamos should be targeting outside countries ASAP.

No Love is a sophomore triumphant album, a truly remarkable step up from their uneven debut album which was mediocre at best. Ska is the cousin of rockabilly, a more vivid sound that hides the strings to alternate different instruments. Turbopotamos really knows how to play with this idea, which prevents it from joining the extensive line of ska bands like Plastiko, Panteón Rococó or Doctor Krapula that fall for the trumpet sound, forgetting that ska’s purpose is diversifying sound.

First single No Me Meto feels like a 60s track from Los Hooligans, a very catchy song and a homage to the twisty sound that captivated the music scene for over two decades. The album includes two tracks in the English language, No love and Overdose. The former is an evocative love song, while the latter could be its continuation, when things go wrong of course. They are two most recognized songs of the band, for some reason listeners just fall for anything in this language. El Tiburon is probably the album’s most energetic track, it is also a gathering of different languages. But the finest of all songs is Kitty, a song that is relatable, funny and very metaphoric.

Music festivals such as the LAMC or Vive Latino looking for fresh voices need to look no further. A self-inspired band that will probably be making buzz in upcoming years. Let’s give these guys some love. Turbopotamos is like a dynamite waiting for a spark to unleash for recognition.

Numeric Rating: 82/100