Los Fastidios – XXX The Number Of The Beat LP (KOB Records / Fire And Flames Music / Potencial Hardcore)

Los Fastidios celebrate their 30th anniversary, so what’s a better way to celebrate than with a brand new album. I have to admit that I was excited about it as soon as I saw the news in my inbox. It’s been a while since I received any news about Los Fastidios, and I was excited to write something about their latest release. For those who somehow missed the activities of this group before, Los Fastidios is a legendary Italian streetpunk band coming from Verona. Since its inception in 1991, Los Fastidios released countless full-length albums, split releases, singles, and other forms of releases. Of course, like many other bands, Los Fastidios went through several line-up changes, but the essence of their music is still there, and they remained true to their original sound. Currently, the group performs as a quintet, and they sound better than ever.

XXX The Number Of The Beat is their eleventh full-length recording that carries fourteen new compositions if we include the intro on the bill as well. As you probably already know, ska, reggae, and rocksteady are crucial ingredients of their sound, so besides the sheer dominance of streetpunk, you may also expect a lot of it. As usual, you can expect a lot of good old rock’n’roll mixed together with the beforementioned ingredients. Los Fastidios are one of the rare groups that mix all these genres like a pros, or maybe I should say nobody does it better. After all, they had three decades to perfect the sound that will remain their trademark for so long. Of course, the group made sure to decorate this material with brilliant ideas and exquisite musicianship, so this particular sounds fresh like every new release they put out.

What puts Los Fastidios above others is variety. Right with the initial beats of this particular record, you’ll notice that the band thoroughly planned each composition and cleverly assembled each segment of it. The song structures and arrangements are keeping XXX The Number Of The Beat entertaining from scratch to finish. Los Fastidios mixed these numbers altogether, so you’ll get a steady dose of reggae, ska, punk rock, rock’n’roll, and all over again after your spin a decent amount of it. The songs are sung in Italian, French, and English, so you get a multilingual variety along the way as well. No matter which style the band currently explores, their music contains a generous serving of cheerful melodies, danceable rhythms, singalongs, and positive aggression. XXX Number Of The Beat is a comprehensive collection of positively charged streetpunk/ska/reggae songs that you’ll dearly play on your turntable. The album comes on a vinyl record, digipack CD, and digital, so head over to the Los Fastidios website, KOB Records, Fire And Flames Music, or Potencial Hardcore for more information about ordering.