Spont Ar Stad – LP
LP | DL
Out Now
Anarcho-punk and pounding post-punk sounds swirl around Breton singing on an album that’s both refreshing and familiar, while also angry yet melodic. Nathan Brown says Spont Ar Stad are ones to watch.
There’s a lot going on here. Simultaneously angry, shouty and tuneful anarcho-punk. No surprise, given the band name translates to State Terror. Wire-y scratchy first wave punk guitar and jaunty beats with a touch of reggae offbeat is thrown in alongside the attack-dog snare of classic anarcho-punk. The vocal performance is one combining emotion and outrage, from the heart. The lyrics in Da Reuz, “My heart is angry, my heart is ravaged bit it’s a driving force, a turmoil”, sum up really well what I’m getting from the singing. Strong and commanding, but there are some great melodies too.
Imagine if you will the jauntiness of early Ants, the chaos of The Slits and 90s band Mushroom Attack, the tuneful outrage of Zounds, Poison Girls and The Ex, the stripped back sound of 80s US peace punks A State Of Mind and you’ll be in the right head space. However, on repeated listens, with the way the pounding drums and bass collide with staccato guitars and picked atypical chord shapes, I keep finding myself taken back to early Banshees. This is atmospheric music.
Spont Ar Stad sing in Breton, one of the few remaining Celtic languages. As one of the P-Celtic or Brittonic branch languages, alongside Cornish and Welsh, they are distinct from the Goidelic Celtic branch of Irish Gaelic, Scots Gallic and Manx. While they are not the first punk band to sing in Breton, it’s still not common.
The words themselves concern various forms of inequality, oppression and resistance with fascism, racism and misogyny featuring heavily but focused at an individual human scale.
The band recorded, mixed and mastered this themselves, and they did a really good job. The DIY recording is one of the things that gives this the flavour of early post-punk anthems and 80s releases on Crass. Stripped back to their essence, the songs stand out and are not drowned in clever studio techniques and effects. There is plenty of space and separation, meaning you hear everything.
As with all GYO-related releases, the physical format includes a poster with the lyrics and translations into Spanish, French, and English. The medieval-looking cover is open-sleeved and screen-printed on 250gsm Kraft cardstock.
It was the anarcho attack that first grabbed me, but it’s the melodies and post-punk shapes that have kept this on the turntable. It’s just a wonderful record to immerse yourself in, and Spont Ar Stad are ones to watch. I predict this will become a highly sought-after record so don’t miss out. Keep an eye on Grow Your Own for extra physical copies, which are very limited, order it from the continent or satisfy yourself with the digital edition.
Available from Grow Your Own Records
Also available from Aredje, Tranzophobia, Discos Enfermos, Stonehenge Records, Senseless Acts Of Anger.
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Words by Nathan Brown. You can read more from Nathan on his Louder Than War archive over here.
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