It seems odd to say that I'm floored by a band I've been fervently touting for over a decade. But Los Pepes have done something that very few bands have ever done: deliver a sixth album that blows away anything they have ever released before. From the beginning, Los Pepes were a band that could not have been more up my alley. Their mission was to play power pop as powerfully as any other band on Earth, and none of their records have failed to deliver on that promise. Over time, the band has managed to stay true to that identity while also broadening its musical approach and honing its craft in terms of songwriting. So without hesitation, I can say that the band's new album Out of the Void (out on Wanda Records, Spaghetty Town, Beluga, and Ghost Highway Recordings) is its best to date. If you've never heard Los Pepes before, this is the album to start with. And if you're a longtime fan, I implore you not to sleep on this record. The album kicks off in a way that's very reminiscent of the band's debut album Los Pepes for Everyone — sounding like the Buzzcocks on amphetamines. The first third of the album mostly lives in that '77 punk-pop space, and it's thrilling to hear a band that can sound so aggressively energetic and so addictively tuneful. But in its middle and closing sections, Out of the Void really shows off the range in Los Pepes' repertoire. "Sweet Appeasement" sounds like something from the golden age of power pop. "Above and Beyond" is raucous rock 'n' roll with hooks for days. "Short Term Solutions" is pure blistering punk rock. "All I Got Is Time" is a perfect pop song. "Tomorrow and Today" is quintessential modern garage rock and a stone cold banger.
For the past decade, Los Pepes have been one of the definitive bands living at the intersection of power pop and punk rock. Bands of that sort are not usually known for their longevity, and more often than not their first couple of albums are considered their crowning achievements. But on album number six, Los Pepes seem to be just hitting their stride. They're at this point not just an exciting band but genuinely a great one. In terms of songwriting, they've found a way to remain "on brand" while digging deeper for musical influences. They've proven that they don't always have to put the pedal to the metal — but when they still choose to do so, they're not going to be outdone by anyone. And it doesn't hurt to have the world's best power pop drummer in the driver's seat. With touchpoints ranging from first wave punk to '70s power pop to '60s pop to garage rock, Out Of The Void manages to be both a classic Los Pepes album and a completely unprecedented Los Pepes album. These guys still possess every bit of the fervor and raw power they did a decade ago, but now all that sonic fury is accompanied by songwriting and instrumental chops that have been refined and perfected beyond what anyone could have foreseen in back in the 2010s. As much as my musical tastes have evolved and continue to evolve, one listen to Out of the Void made it perfectly clear: I started this blog to review albums like this!
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