Leuzemia

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While seemingly no one was looking, Peru’s early hardcore punk scene became one of Latin America’s most well-documented. With vinyl releases in recent years of Autopsia, Ataque Frontal, G-3, Kaos (just in the last month!) and Descontrol and Kaos General on CD, few others remain, with one big exception: the most popular Peruvian punk, Leuzemia. Now, Lengua Armada has reissued their classic (and rare) LP, with an excellent insert and jacket and faithful sound quality. Unlike Lima’s raw hardcore bands, Leuzemia had a snotty, poppy punk sound, clearly influenced by the Ramones. A handful of early and very rough Leuzemia tracks appeared on a cassette compilation in 1985, but the actual LP is relatively polished. Still, it is powerful and punk to the bone. With lyrical topics ranging from teenage gross-out (“Diarrea”) to the harsh realities of life in a city emerging from dictatorial rule (“Astalculo”), Leuzemia covered all the bases. Had this LP emerged from, say, Belgium in 1977, it’d be considered an indisputable classic today. I hope this reissue will garner Leuzemia many new fans, as this LP surely deserves to be a fave among party punx 4 life.