Look Mexico : Ride or Die, Remember?
Look Mexico
Ride or Die, Remember?
Look Mexico is a band that I have been super eager to talk about. When I chanced upon their latest 2016 album, Uniola a few years back, I was treated to a glorious mish-mash of math rock/emo that made me instantly fall in love. This American band from Tallahassee brings a unique take on math rock that not so much focuses on the technicality, but on the soul that constitutes each track. Guitar lines and musical ideas flow seamlessly from section to section, creating an elaborate carving of what this genre of music is at its core. Emotions, skill and heart.
Their sound has matured since their earlier albums in which they were still finding their sound, with mix on Uniola being a tad more accessible compared to albums such as their 2010 release, To Bed To Battle. The vocals possess a distinct timbre, very much reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner.
The lyrics of Ride or Die, Remember? are a poetic cry for help from a man longing for what could have been, waiting for the “last time bomb” to explode. Damage to the heart is inevitable. All this is enveloped in dream-like, reverb-filled guitar lines and instrumentals.
The track starts off with a mournful guitar line that is accompanied with the rhythmic tapping of the drums, before an eventual tapping guitar line leading into the first verse. This is very much in parallel to the pull and release of the lyricist’s mind in his current anxiety-filled situation. The tapping motif in the guitar appears frequently throughout the song, frequently varied, as if to ask the hypothetical “what if?”s that never were. After the first chorus, we are treated with an excellent call and response dialogue between the two guitarists before that leads into tremolo lines, further building upon the texture of the song.
A surprise find that I have treasured over the years, Look Mexico’s Uniola takes emo/math rock by the tail and gives it a spanking new robe… that talks and cries sometimes. I definitely recommend listening to this record from start to end.
Look Mexico also has some of their music that isn't available on Spotify over on Bandcamp that are well worth the listen.
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