Audio By Carbonatix
Well, we’re at a point now where indie rock comes in many guises and with a lot of unexpected musical influences. Nothing wrong with a little diversity, right? Miami group Social Klash throws every sonic inspiration imaginable into the music blender on its debut album, Plastic Love, and frappés it all with some danceable tunes. It doesn’t take long to hear this band’s Latin American background controlling the pace of the album. There are several Soda Stereo/Sentimiento Muerto/Enanitos Verdes-inspired tunes here, such as “Luna,” “Amor Eléctrico,” and “No Somos Dos.” Even though these songs are full of Spanish-language New Wave, nothing stops these guys from mixing it up with some electroclash and synth-pop sensibilities. There’s even a little saccharine bliss halfway through, on “Super Niño,” in the manner of a simple riff over some inspired beats and loops with call-and-response vocal harmonization. And they can tear it up like a bunch of good punkers on “So Short Married,” which features elements of garage.
As for personnel, Mars Polem handles the guitars and bass while guiding the vocals with a Bono-meets-Ian Curtis inflection. Andres Mara does the computer work and bops along on the keys, and Abraham Salas does an admirable job on the drums by keeping the metronome and by dazzling with minimalism when appropriate. With that many influences welded together, Plastic Love comes across as a solid first effort.
