Dirty Filthy Records have done it again. Yet another astounding release this time all the way from Córdoba Argentina. Les Nadie (Nobody) are a desert heavy-psych duo with Juan Codne on guitars and vocals and Rodri Deladerova on drums. They’re building on the legacy of bands like Los Natas, Dragonauta or Los Antiguos to create something new. The dynamics they employ move their sound from blistering stoner doom rock to the shimmering tones of shoegaze.
Destierro y Siembra or Exile and Planting was released digitally last year to rave reviews. To give you a measure of the excitement around the album it’s now receiving its vinyl debut with two bonus tracks. Even more impressively there are four record labels coming together to ensure this album gets a worldwide release.
The album kicks of the with slow and steady majesty of ‘Grito el indio’. Things chug along nicely until that final minute when the song erupts and blooms into this soaring flight through hellfire, complete with demonic laughing. What a start.
‘Zhonda’ picks the pace up with hammer blow riffs and spacey vocals. This track is wonderfully dynamic, dropping out the big licks for the sung passages only to return at full volume and intensity in the instrumental sections. It’s hard to believe this is just two guys.
We enter the desert wasteland for ‘En Tu Destierro’ or ‘In Your Exile’. The barren heat and despair are palpable in this performance. The vocals cry in anguish and the drums echo the stumbling steps of our exile. The guitar is particularly expressive, picking out light and dark to great effect.
The demonic entity returns to haunt us in ‘Helleden’. This is something totally new. We swing from this gorgeous rolling riff to the lightest and most gentile of vocal lines. For a song called ‘The Hell’ things are remarkably chilled and laid back. I’m not sure I’ve heard this approach to songwriting before. It so refreshing and unexpected that it really made me sit up and take notice.
The big licks return in full effect for ‘Babas Dallah’. When this goes off, man it goes OFF! It might be the contrast to the previous track but this one blew my mind! There is live video to accompany this one which captures the band playing in the sweltering heat. You can check it out here.
The call and response dynamic between vocals and guitar return on ‘Del Pombero’. Codne demonstrates an enormous lung capacity with a held note that stretches on and on. We enter space rock territory with intergalactic tones entering the fray making this my album stand out track.
‘Venenauta’ is a short musical interlude. A tone poem or mood piece. It’s an eerie one that cleanses our palate.
We’re back with the ten storey riffs with ’Mal Viaje’. This is heavy stuff, like Black Sabbath heavy. The band play with a real purpose here. Locked in sync, drums and guitar don’t so much do battle but lead each other through, supporting each other all the way. I might be mistaken but there may be some Janes Addiction influence here too.
The album closes out on the other worldly ‘Hellkam’. It’s spaced out sonics driving the grove of the guitars and the drums ever amazing rhythms. Pay close attention to how the band seamlessly shift the tempo up and down without once falling out of time with each other. This is impressive stuff and the perfect way to finish the album.
Les Nadie have turned me into a fan for life with this collection of songs. The hype is not just lived up to but exceeded in my ears. I keep coming back to, this is just two guys. How on earth do they sculpt these infinite and complex sonic worlds between them. It’s a mystery but a mystery I’m happy to leave unaddressed. When a band creates magic such as this, it’s best to close your eyes and just let them take you away.
“Destierro y Siembra” comes out on 21th March 2023 via Spinda Records (EU), in collaboration with Psychedelic Salad Records (Australia), Echodelick Records (USA) and Dirty Filthy Records (UK).
The record comes on Black 180g Vinyl or Orange 180g Vinyl. There’s only 150 copies of each so don’t sleep on this one.
You can follow Les Nadie on social media here …
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