Yes, I'm aware that three years of existence wouldn't normally constitute a band being filed under the "new" tag, but outside of Spain and other parts of Europe, Nueva Fuerza is largely unknown as of yet. So, with that in mind, here they are on the site's New Artist Focus series.
"The band was formed by Xavi (ex-drummer) and me in 2015. We were playing in a band called Anarquía Vertical, and we decided to do a separate project," Nueva Fuerza vocalist David tells me about the group's genesis. "The idea was to do a band comprised of young people! That's what 'Nueva Fuerza' means. We practiced 4 or 5 times and then we recorded our first EP that was released in 2016 through Discos Enfermos."
Even though I'm of Latino heritage, I have to be honest, when it comes to Spanish hardcore, I’m quite ignorant on its history and what’s happening there right now. I ask David to point me in the direction of some classic and later Spanish bands I should check out. "My favorite classic Spanish bands are Eskorbuto, RIP, Cicatriz, GRB, Paralisis Permanente, MCD, Desechables, Anti-Dogmatikss, MG15, HHH, KGB, Eskoriatza, and Toreros After Ole. There is a tape called Spanish HC that is my favorite record from the '80s in this country, it sounds raw and fast, I love it.
"I've never been interested about the '90s in Spain, but in last few years some good bands were formed and sadly they don't play anymore. Otan, Absurdo, Glam, Destino Final, Firmeza 10, Sect, Juanita Y Los Feos, XM2, etc. Right now, there are some bands I really like: Orden Mundial, Una Bèstia Incontrolable, Sudor, Barcelona, Belgrado, Piñén, La URSS, Mínima, Bisonte, Tensión, Karpatos, Rata Negra, Asesinato del Poder, Pou, Arrest, Biznaga, Lux, and Desenterradas."
Over the summer, Nueva Fuerza dropped Hitos Y Derrotas, an EP that has a tough yet lo-fi approach to the recording/sound. The tone gives songs like “Haz lo que quieras” an almost post-punk, gothy kind of vibe to it. "The recording is digital, but the mixer was analog and the master was made with analog hardware, too. I guess that's where the lo-fi sound comes from. We like that because we love the sound of the '80s and we try to get as close as we can to the techniques that were used in that time. I personally hate the perfect digital sound that always seems recorded in the same place with the same software. Everything done on the EP's recording comes from the brilliant mind of Dani Frutos."
David clues me into some other influences on their latest record. "'Haz lo que quieras' sounds very different, but we wanted to sound Japanese (D-beat + metal) and at the same time, from Barcelona (the voice with delays and crazy riffs). I don't really know if we got to sound like that, we probably don't care too much because we like what we do when we don't get attached to a certain style. We have very different elements in every song, and our influences goes from Jerry's Kids and other Boston bands, to Hellhammer and Bathory. That's the music we love! We have been compared with some Barcelona bands, but we never think about them when we wrote our music."
Nueva Fuerza released the Hitos Y Derrotas EP through La Vida Es Un Mus, a UK-based indie label that is definitely killing it as of late with some interesting releases. "When we did our first tour in the UK with Anarquía Vertical and Ultra, we met [label owner] Paco for first time in London. The guys of Ultra knew him and they introduced us to him. Then, after releasing a couple of albums in LVEUM with these two bands, Nueva Fuerza toured in the UK again, playing the songs we had recently recorded, and when we got the master, I sent it to Paco and he seemed to like it! He is the punk boss, you should buy all his records."
Before we end our chat, David answers the big question I always ask hardcore bands from outside of the States: "Yes, we will be playing there in a few months. It will be in the South and that should be announced soon!"
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Nueva Fuerza can be found on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Tagged: new artist focus, nueva fuerza
