No Relax
Gridalo!

THE REVIEW

In 2004, Joxemi, the guitarist of the delightful Ska-P, decided to start a side project with Micky, the singer of the Italian band Bambole di Pezza, whom he met when the latter opened for the Spanish band’s Italian tour in 2003. When they decided to leave their respective parent groups to focus on the project, they recruited Joseba from Sugarless on bass and Eneko on drums, thus creating No Relax.

After a few months, the first album "Gridalo!" was already ready, released in two versions (one sung in Spanish and the other in Italian). The style does not stray too far from Joxemi's first band, offering a melodic hardcore tinged with ska and reggae, slightly faster and less euphoric than that of the Ska-P, enriched by Micky's emphatic voice. However, it is noticeable that compared to Ska-P, the range of styles present is broader: it spans from street punk to Oi!, adding in certain parts even swing elements and pieces indebted to 50s rock 'n' roll, in the vein of the masters Clash.

It is nonetheless a good album, fun, unassuming, dealing with the usual themes of the genre: ranging from social themes, such as vegetarianism and the cruelty of slaughterhouses ("Al macello"), the superficiality of modern girls ("Sparatevi un colpo"), and the eternal conflict between science and faith ("Il filosofo e il cardinale", probably the best track on the album, addressing the topic in an entirely original way), to more personal themes, usually the singer's work (the initial "Continuerò" and "Fottiti", both talking about nasty ex-boyfriends).

If you like the genre, get it, you won't be disappointed.