‘Plastico mi cuerpo, Plastico y metales perados, Mi cuerpo es plastic’ / ‘My body is plastic, Plastic and heavy metals, My body is plastic’ (Barbie Terminator)

Abism’s debut album, 2023, was a lesson in the power of doing the basics exceptionally well.  And this EP sees the New York band, who include members of Fairytale and Dawn Of The Humans, continue to place an unwavering emphasis on these core fundamentals.  Scraping, fuzzed guitars and thumping pogo rhythms lock into a relentless groove, while the fiercely rasping Spanish vocals grapple with the horrors inflicted on Gaza, the paramilitary violence of ICE, and a world locked into patterns of entrenched injustice.

Yet, as the 7-inch evolves, Abism begin to flex just a little, without compromising their mesmerising velocity, as flares of fuzzed out, almost seventies’ rock melodicism add an unexpected new dimension to the onslaught. Each of the five tracks slams home with impressive force.  Personal highlights are the melodically scampering leads of Cuantas Niños? (How Man Children?), the blistering riff that propels (Si) No Hay Paz ([Yes] There Is No Peace), and the wigged-out swing of Mentalidad Televisiva (Television Mentality).  Primitive hardcore delivered with no little panache.