Rio De Janeiro band Rakta’s self-titled debut is a cavernous and reverberant recording driven by intensity and frenzy. Taking clues from death rock and post-punk, Rakta’s sound brings together tribal beats, distorted vocals, and echoing guitars. The band is interested in finding equilibrium between repetition, expansion, and movement, according to a description of their sound on their Bandcamp page. Interestingly, as part of a larger global trend, Rakta decided to record this material not in Portuguese, but in English. This all female quartet’s self-titled album was first available on tape in 2013 and it has been released on vinyl in limited edition this year for global distribution. The band also extensively toured the United States this summer to promote their debut LP. Quem tem medo do monstro cor de rosa?

RIYL: Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Slits, XYX, Skeletal Family, and The Jesus & Mary Chain.

FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, and 4

1. (4:01) ***Run to the forest / Repetition – Energetic intro with upbeat drums, reverb vocals, and hypnotic atmosphere. Intense.
2. (2:55) **Life comes from death – Organ-driven track with echoing guitars and undecipherable vocals.
3. (3:25) Secret – XYX’s influence here. Dense, weird, and icy.
4. (2:42) ***Take your time – Post-Punk 101. Solid tune. Play it!
5. (6:00) Ganex / Black Mob – Great psych rock elements here. First half of song is lively and thrilling and second half is slow and repetitive; nevertheless interesting.
6. (6:00) Caverna – Noisy and experimental track that navigates between excess and chaos.