Song of the Day: Downtown Boys - Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas)

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas),” by Downtown Boys, from their forthcoming release, Cost of Living, out now on August 11 on Sub Pop Records.

Downtown Boys - Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas) (MP3)Every few years, a band arrives that critics claim will make good on punk's promise of powerful music married to progressive politics. At this moment, that band is Downtown Boys, a spirited five-piece from Providence, R.I., who recently signed to Sub Pop. They've been described by Rolling Stone as "America's most exciting punk band," by Pitchfork's Jenn Pelly as "the band America needs most right now," and by themselves as, "a bi, bilingual political dance sax punk party." They're certainly a political band. Singer Victoria Ruiz and guitarist Joey DeFrancesco met while trying to form a union at the hotel where they worked, the band recently called out Coachella for allegedly underpaying workers, and their lyrics tackle topics like homophobia, misogyny, and the prison industrial complex.

But what sets the band apart is their music. On "Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas)," the band embraces unrelenting tempos, dynamic Poly Styrene-worthy vocals, and a throbbing bass part from fan-turned-bandmember Mary Regalado. Unlike a few bands in the genre who obey the punk three-chord credo almost to a fault, Downtown Boys give us a song that rewards repeated plays. Each additional listen fires you up with new sonic discoveries. On "Somos," you'll notice varying verse lengths, deeply buried and slightly glossy post-punk guitars, as well as a ferocious breakdown from drummer Norlan Olivo. Downtown Boys also differ from past punks in that they strive to create something in place of the systems they attack, rather than simply watching the whole thing go up in flames. "Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas)" is just as much a celebration as it is an act of resistance.

Read what the band had to say about the track:

The chorus – “Somos chulas, no somos pendejas!” or, in English, “I’m elegant/intelligent, I’m not dumb!” – is a declaration of one’s ability to decolonize one’s mind, and the importance of fearlessly unlearning the ways white supremacy conditions people to think and exist.