Establishing the mood with a fierce drum riff and an evocative guitar soundscape, Outerloop open huracán with atmospheric vocals and thought-provoking prose in Spanish and English. Needless to say, we are in awe.
The opus expands with poetic prowess and an assertive nature as we are taken on a hard rock meets Latin post-hardcore trip by powerhouse vocalist, Taisha Estrada and guitarist Don Potter who are the founding members of the group, based in Washington.
huracán demonstrates nothing short of instrumental mastery, and we are totally captivated by the journey that the song take us on – leaving us imagining how epic this would be to experience live.
For some background on the lyricism, Taisha confesses, “huracán is a song about the issue of displacement, more specifically the kind of displacement that is being seen all over the island of Puerto Rico.”
She continues with depth and wisdom, “People are given 30 days notice and forced to vacate properties that they rent or even own, so that developers can have access to the land closest to the beachfront. The neglect, and oftentimes facilitation, on behalf of the government is leaving communities desolate, not only affecting homes but all infrastructure. Schools and clinics are left with no funding and are being shut down. Once-protected beaches full of crucial wildlife are being destroyed.”
We learn that there are two voices in the song, Taisha says, “The English-speaking voice of the oppressor conveys no empathy, and recalls the days where slaves were forced to harvest sugarcane, the main export of Caribbean islands. The voice of the people, which is in Spanish, begins as a quiet plea, and grows louder throughout the song until the final chorus, where the multitudes cry out for justice.”
We absolutely love the high concept nature of what Outerloop are creating, and the impactful and dynamic manner in which they present their artistry. We have added huracán to our New Music Spotlight playlist, as well as our brand new TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream the band’s wider discography, and anticipate future releases from Outerloop!