La Isla Electronica (L.I.E.) begins their self-titled EP by munching on some chips and declaring “Vale vamos,” (ok, let’s go), before every instrument in this Portland four piece enters at once on “No Digas Nunca” (Don’t Say Never). It’s as if your friends loaded a 24-pack into the basket on the back of your bike and are trying to see if they can fit any snacks too. You could be headed anywhere: a barbeque, a house show, a baby shower. Vocalist Susana Sainz lets us know, “No pasa nada.” Sure, we’re going to be late, but we're not worried in the slightest. The sun has set on a blistering summer day and a breeze settles in, refreshing us for an all downhill bike ride to the function.
In many ways L.I.E.’s four track debut is the ideal punk EP. It’s fast (falling just under a 10 minute run time), with Wire-esque basslines (Amy Kay) turned up in the mix, quick-n-catchy synth and guitar riffs (Ian Howe), and borderline disco drum beats (AJ McClary) to anchor it. As a new wave record it’s a blend of danceable ’80s and ’90s lo-fi goth rock—more Siouxsie than the Go-Gos, more Slits than Le Tigre. All coming together with Sainz’s moody and melodic Spanish vocals recorded with a slight reverb.
Standing out are both the EP’s b-side tracks. “Nada en tu Cabeza” starts with a slower numbing baseline, a more monotone Sainz says plain observations, “no quieres pensar / tu mente va para allá” (You don’t want to think / your mind goes there). The minor key keyboard riff sounds hopeful by comparison, before shouted vocals and an erupting guitar, “en tu cabeza nada!” (nothing in your head). It’s like L.I.E. must lie to convince themselves there’s nothing worth thinking about as Sainz repeats, “Nada” again and again in the crescending refrain. This song is followed by “Más Lejos” (Further), a synth-soaked dance track about the pains of desire and alienation. Much like the rest of the EP, just as the track starts to feel like it’s settling in, it’s over—all sound has left. Any good debut EP should end right when you begin wanting more.
It should go without saying at this point, but post-punk/new wave music is Latin American music. That is, between the black clad Mexican/Central American diaspora in Southern California arguing “who’s better, Robert Smith, Ian Curtis, or Morrisey,” the legendary El Chopo Tiangis in Mexico City being the unofficial greatest punk bootleg market in the world, and a slew of seriously great bands coming from the Spanish speaking world (San Charbel, Vacíos Cuerpos, Décima Víctima, Ataque de Caspa, to name a few). Post-punk was and is Latin-Spanish music, and La Isla Electronica fits snugly within this cultural lineage.
