Downtown Boys – “Wave Of History”

Downtown Boys – “Wave Of History”

If you’re still unfamiliar with Downtown Boys, then it’s time to get acquainted. They’re a six-piece bilingual punk band hailing from Providence who emote the kind of noise that’s so all-consuming, so overwhelming, that you can practically roll around in it. They are politically motivated and completely unafraid, riding on the kind of enviable conviction that comes with being young and wholly unsatisfied with the world you were raised in. Almost always conveyed in Spanglish, Downtown Boys lyrics circumnavigate a variety of topics dealing with homogenous patriarchal bullshit power structures without getting too specific so as to maintain their universality. They are battle hymns for anyone willing to resign their self-imposed 21st-century cynicism. “Wave Of History” begins with Joey DeFrancesco’s declarative snarl — “Coming in on a wave/ A wave of history” — as instrumentals jump from a lone drumbeat to the kind of steadfast, blaring, and sustained sax notes worthy of Clarence Clemons. This is a song about progress, but it’s specifically a song about initiating radical change, about moving as far away from the past as possible in order to avoid repeating textbook example mistakes. “Not one step back/ On the wave of history/ You can’t look back/ On our wave of history.”

DeFrancesco and Ruiz have another cumbia-inspired dance punk project called Malportado Kids, and you can listen to the first single off of their forthcoming EP here. Check out “Wave Of History” below.


(via Soundcheck)

Full Communism is out 5/5 via Don Giovanni.

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