Featuring Asfixia Social, Mardi Gras, The Idiot Kids, and more, these LITM Rock Picks are everything from urgent and energetic to quiet and reflective.
1. Asfixia Social – Capoeira-Karatê
Capoeira-Karatê bursts out of speakers with an energy that sweeps you up in its tide, carrying you amidst its electric guitars, heavy drumming, and urgent vocals; there are no words to capture Asfixia Social’s sound on the track other than thrilling. It isn’t straightforward hardcore rock or punk – Asfixia Social cleverly fuses them with traditional elements of capoeira, and as a result, the whole song thrums with the energy of resistance, defiance, and creativity that bounces off the walls. For anyone tired of music that sounds like it’s been scrubbed clean of personality, Capoeira-Karatê promises to be the exact opposite – listen here!
2. Mardi Gras – Don’t Touch The Sinner
“Here is a story of invisible men / Don’t touch the sinner…”
This is how Mardi Gras’ Don’t Touch The Sinner begins, swelling into a cinematic, almost orchestral warning of the pitfalls of love and identity. From the beginning, the track’s tone is melancholic yet defiant, creating a beautifully sad contrast that swirls around you throughout its almost 4-minute runtime. It doesn’t need bombast to command the space it inhabits: rather, its clarity and focus make for a listen that’s bright, grounded, and confessional. It succeeds for many reasons, only one of which is that Mardi Gras knows when to pull back and leave the listener suspended in tension – a feeling that never gets old. Listen here!
3. The Idiot Kids – Bulldozer
Like the title promises, Bulldozer is explosive, loud, and runs you over with its energy (something you’ll be happy for!). It sounds tailor-made for crowds that’ll scream-sing its every line along with The Idiot Kids in a sweaty, cramped moshpit. It hits you immediately with how it sounds unabashedly joyful – it brims with a young, reckless spirit and charisma. The track is a biting, snarky comment about being run over by a system that refuses to accept anything that isn’t bland and perfect (“I’m sick and tired of the rollercoaster / So run me over, run me over”) – its carefreeness feels like catharsis and a challenge – because who’s going to stop them now?
4. ARGYRO – Lifeline
ARGYRO’s Lifeline blooms open slowly and delicately, leaving space around it for you to join in on its emotions, too. Opening with a soft piano upon which ARGYRO’s vocals are layered, the entire arrangement is minimalistic, allowing for focus to remain on the lyrics and message. Silence is woven through the song as a part of its narrative – it feels like ARGYRO is inviting you to sit and listen to the silence that comes before their feelings come forward. Even towards its later half, when the song expands in scope, it never sounds like it’s leaving you: the sound is intimate and vulnerable throughout, and this balance makes it a fascinating listen!
5. Erro – Shadowland
Shadowland feels like stepping into a space between complete distance and intimate, personal connection. Erro invites you deeper and deeper as the song progresses, adding more elements only when really necessary, without any rush. Even without listening to the lyrics, which revolve around fighting your inner battles, you can tell that the track is sorrowful and reflective just by its sound and production alone. Erro’s restraint shows throughout the song – with measured melodies rather than explosive ones, and vocals that don’t clamour for attention, it sounds like a comforting, quiet realisation, one that’ll take its time to arrive but is worth the wait.
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