Los Crudos (The Hungover in Spanish slang, which alluded to the raw exhaustion of life) were a hardcore band from Chicago.  They were renowned for both their politically charged music and resolutely DIY ethics and were active from 1991 to 1998.

At the time of the band’s emergence, the Chicago hardcore scene primarily resided in the city’s largely white, middle-class suburbs.  In contrast, Los Crudos were a product of the inner-city neighbourhood of Pilsen that was predominantly working-class and Mexican heritage in character.

‘Rompen nuestros sindicatos, colectivos, y moviementos, para la prosperidad de su capitalism, su farsa de democracia, sus planes de austeridad, nos deja todos mas pobre, mas rotos’ (Déjanos En Paz) / ‘Destroying our unions, collectives and movements, so that capitalism may prosper, your fake democracy and austerity measures, leave us poorer and helpless’ (Leave Us In Peace)

Sonically, Los Crudos delivered laceratingly fast classic hardcore – short, sharp, aggressive, and bristling with conviction. Lyrically, the band’s concerns were rooted in addressing the issues that confronted their own neighbourhood – worker exploitation, rentier greed, day-to-day racism, police violence – and placed them in the context of the wider political environment, particularly centred around themes of anti-immigration politics, violence against women, and state sanctioned terror.

‘Quieren que nos dividamos, entra nacionalidad, color de piel, entre las clases y también el sexo, que alguien se piense major que el resto del mundo’ (Unidad Prohibida) / ‘They want us to be divided, by nationality and skin colour, by class as well as gender, same old stupidity where someone thinks, they are superior to all’ (Forbidden Unity)

The band’s outspoken promotion of these issues at their shows produced a defensive reaction in some quarters, one that Los Crudos refused to bow to.  It did, however, provoke the band to write their only English language song – ‘That’s Right, We’re That Spic Band’ – that confronted the bigotry involved head-on.  It serves to remind us that no matter how welcoming we like to think that the hardcore community is, it often remains the case that bands who bring new perspectives and experiences must often wrestle for acceptance, while being accused of being overly aggressive in claiming their right to be heard.

Discografía Completa was first released in 2015, and this represents its fourth pressing.  It includes the band’s entire recorded output, spanning some 66 tracks, across four full-lengths, five EPs, and a myriad of compilation releases.  It includes a gatefold cover and a forty-page booklet with lyrics and flyers.  The band have made occasional live forays since they called it a day, and members of the band have gone on to play in Canal Irreal, Charles Bronson, and Limp Wrist.