GENERACION SUICIDA is a four-piece band; consisted of Kiwi (drums & vocals), Tony (guitar & vocals), Mario (guitar), and Elias (bass). Based in Los Angeles, they play icy, angular, catchy punk with oscillating male/female vocals creating a serrated edge of paranoia and anxiety [Razorcake #77]. The band is scheduled to have their S.E.A Tour ‘18 by end of September and early October, in which will also include three venues in our country Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur (28 Sept), Penang (29 Sept), and Batu Pahat (30 Sept). Keep your eyes and mark your dates. Here’s an exclusive interview made with the singer/guitarist, Tony on behalf of Generacion Suicida. – Conversation by Pyan Nathias
Hello Generacion Suicida. What’s up today? What was going on in the LA punk scene lately?
Hello! The punk scene in LA is like every other punk scene that we know of. It goes thru its highs and lows. Sometimes there are an incredible number of great bands that just seem to pop out of nowhere and then sometimes there are barely any shows! From my perspective, it seems that this is the case pretty much all over the world, so we should really take advantage when there is a high amount of energy in the scene! Currently, LA is doing well. The summer is here and I call it the summer of shows. Lots of great bands coming thru town on tour and lots of great bands that are currently active in LA.
Okay, how do you guys got together to form Generacion Suicida? What were among the first ideas behind the existence of the band?
The band started in 2010. We first started as a 3 piece. At the time, we were just a couple of bored friends that were heavily involved in the punk scene. We had all been in previous bands (Asko, Astalkulo, Rayos X, Etc…), had a zine and videozine (Fronteras Desarmadas), and a blog (Cola De Rata). We decided to make GS because we wanted to make a band that sounded different from all the hardcore and street punk that was dominant in the scene at the time. When we started, a lot of people didn’t like our band and didn’t even consider it punk. It was too slow and in those days it was weird for a band to not use distortion on their guitars. I think eventually the fact that we sounded so different really helped us to stand out amongst all the other bands that sounded the same. It wasn’t easy, but it was always fun!
Please describe in details about your musicstyle? Also talk about your own trademark (in music) if any and the bands & sound that influenced Generacion Suicida?
Our style is very twangy. A lot of people have described it as surf/punk. A lot of people also describe it as post-punk. I think like everything our band has gone thru changes and phases. Initially our band had a more surf/twangy style similar to bands like the Vicious or Masshysteri. But as the years went on, I think our style has changed. “Todo Termina” was our more hardcore record with it’s sped up and aggressive sound. “Sombras” was our post-punk/New Wave style record. “Reflejos” is a combination of all of that, with more of an emphasis on melody over everything. These days, people most often compare us to early The Cure. That’s a big change from when we started!
What are your lyrics talked about, and do you think that the messages laid within truly important to your listeners since they’re all sang in Spanish?
Our lyrics talk about everything that affects us as both being young and being latino/a’s in the USA. Everything from love, depression, and loneliness to oppression, police violence, gang violence, and drug addiction/coping. The main reason we sing in Spanish is because we are trying to hold on to our culture in a country where assimilation is the ultimate goal. Being “American” here means speaking only English and following a certain ruleset/mindset. We are often seen as outsiders even though we live in this country and have lived here all our lives, so we’ll embrace the idea and try to hold on to our roots as much as possible.
Tell us further about some of your latest recordings and releases?
Our latest record is “Reflejos”. It was released last year (2017) in time for our European tour. It is getting repressed with additional songs and will be available in time for our SEA tour this year. I’m pretty excited with how it came out and I think it is some of our best music yet!
How do you see the band currently progress since the earlier stuffs?
Like I said earlier, our band has gone thru changes and phases. I think it’s totally normal and feel that it’s natural for a band to grow, especially after being a band for almost 10 years. It would be boring to release the same record year after year! I’m excited to see what we’ll sound like in a few years.
I saw a flyer about your South East Asia Tour 2018 this coming September/October, including 3 venues in my country Malaysia. What do you expect from this tour?
To be honest, I don’t know what to expect. None of us do. I think the shows will be great and we’re super excited just to visit and see the country! I’m excited to see how SEA does punk!
Do you plan any “special release” for the S.E.A Tour ‘18?
Yes, Secret Records from Malaysia will be releasing all of our discography in special tape format. Keep an eye out for that!
Nazi Punks Fuck Off. Your comments on these nazism, fascism, racism, etc?
Fuck Nazis, fuck fascism, fuck racism. Not much more we can say on that topic, but fuck all that.
Thank you. Few last words please?
Thanks for having this interview with me! We are all very stoked to be in your country soon and look forward to meeting as many punks as possible on this trip! See you all in September/October!
