The title of Battle of Santiago’s third release, La Migra, literally translates to ‘deportation police’. A title which the band must have chosen from a very personal perspective, simply because all of the band members have had to migrate at one point for one reason or another. All the tracks on ‘La Migra’ were derived from various recorded jam sessions.
Founded in 2011, Battle of Santiago from Toronto has evolved from experimental rock founded in Latin percussion to an Afro-Cuban post-rock ensemble.
Once we capture something cool we try it again in our next rehearsal, revisiting those ideas until it refines itself organically.
La Migra’s opening track kicks off with a feedbacked distortion guitar that would make the fathers and mothers of Sonic Youth proud. And in comes uncle Carlos: “Kids what are you doing? This sounds great!”
Battle of Santiago has created its own sound that signals back to days gone by. 80’s noise rock, Latin rock that dates even further back, whilst sticking to their Afro-Cuban roots.
No small feat. Very daring, creative, and exciting! To those unfamiliar with music from the late ’60s, ’70s and 80’s the heavy, engulfing sound of the opening and subsequent tracks will blow away their mind.
This album takes you on a trip through time.
Battle of Santiago (BoS) has listened and learned from their classics and incorporated various style elements into their own. Music creation at its best! Very unlike today’s producer and production-driven music, BoS pass on the ART of music creation. A musical exploration, the blending of styles and infusion of ideas. That is what music is all about, real music that is...
Whether BoS took a new musical direction on this album or it is a continuation of previous releases, in any case, this musical avenue deserves further exploration on future releases.
‘La Migra’ is definitely one of the noteworthy releases of this year so far.
Forward ever Battle of Santiago! Backward never!
