Armada – S/T 7”

Comandante Records / Hearts Bleed Blue

 

Blind Pigs were a stronghold when it came down to Brazilian streetpunk. Formed in 1993, the band remained active for decades up until 2016 when ‘the battle-weary ship cast anchor in those turbulent waters’. With the passing of Blind Pigs’ guitarist Fabiano the year before (rest in peace), times were turbulent indeed – resulting in the end of one of Brazil’s longest running, active streetpunk bands to date. But how turbulent the water may be, blood is always thicker than water and out of the ashes of Blind Pigs rose Armada, a brand new punk rock outfit featuring four Blind Pigs and Ricardo, guitarist of Nào Há Mais Volta, who just released their debut single for the brand new label Comandante Records!

 

Looking at the artwork, promo shots, the biography – basically everything we have on Armada so far, you can tell that they’re heading for a different direction with this new outfit. But not just through their image and style, also musically Armada is different from Blind Pigs, or Nào Há Mais Volta for that matter. Sure, the legacy of the Blind Pigs shines through the songs “Bandeira Negra” and “Eterno Marujo”,  but Armada sounds calmer, maybe more mature than its predecessors, resulting in two catchy punk rock tracks that have body, melody and sound somewhat like a mixture between 00’s The Generators and 90’s Social Distortion. With Portuguese lyrics of course.

 

This self-titled debut single is just a taste of things to come though, as Hearts Bleed Blue will release Armada’s debut full-length early 2018 – making it likely that both tracks will be featured on the album as well. Nonetheless is this single an excellent teaser of what we can expect from Armada in the future – solid, harmonic punk rock that is quite easy to the ear, but strong at the same time. Personally I can’t wait to hear their upcoming LP, but for now this two-track single will do!