Despite having been together for only a year, Plastic Meat already sound like a far more seasoned band. That maturity is evident not only in their songs, but also in a commanding live show that seems to improve with every performance. Their ceiling still feels a long way off, and it is easy to understand why they have become one of the most talked-about emerging bands on the Spanish punk scene.
On Losing It, the Madrid band tears through six songs in just ten minutes. Their sound moves between proto-punk, ’77 punk, high-energy rock and the current Australian scene, while retaining a personality of its own. The guitars are abrasive and repetitive, the drums keep everything moving at a relentless pace, and the bass plays a central role, adding weight, moving beneath the riffs and often providing the backbone of the songs.
Much of Plastic Meat’s character comes from Nerina‘s voice. She sings with an apparent restraint, yet every phrase lands with an almost physical force, as though the microphone were both a source of support and a shield. Her incisive, theatrical delivery recalls Poly Styrene, while the anger and authority in her performance bring her closer to Penelope Houston. Each track has its own character, but the EP maintains a strong sense of identity throughout. The proto-punk brutality of “Burn With Me”, with its echoes of The Stooges, gives way to the twisted, menacing and almost surf-like riff of “They”, which recalls the nervous edge of Dead Kennedys.
Elsewhere, the band plays garage rock ‘n’ roll at punk speed, driven by bass lines that carry much of the weight and by dry, direct guitar riffs. On “Choking Me”, a simple figure is hammered into something hypnotic, evoking the more primitive side of Australian punk. The repetition in “Don’t You Love Me?” sharpens its defiant tone and brings The Avengers to mind, while “Winter” closes the record with the drive of Radio Birdman and the fast, stripped-down punk of The Chats.
Losing It captures a band growing quickly and learning how to get the most out of its songs. Plastic Meat sound tighter, more confident and increasingly sure of what they want to be. Hopefully their debut album is not too far away, because there is every reason to expect something formidable.
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