[engl] Less than a year after their debut, Brazil’s Lasso returns with their second EP. While Lasso’s razor-sharp riffing and songwriting remain intact, this time around the sound is thicker and meaner, as if what was presaged in the first EP’s foreboding, ominous sound has finally come to pass. Indeed, as the world has slid into previously unthinkable depths of darkness and brutality, Lasso’s sound has evolved to match, a hard-won sense of steadiness now augmenting the anguish so palpable on their first record. Lasso also introduces a few new musical wrinkles here. A surf-y, Dead Kennedys-esque lead guitar elevates tracks like “Fechado Em Copas” and “Atarantado” to even higher levels of catchiness than their already-infectious debut, while “Mendaz” closes the record with an apocalyptic, mid-paced stomp. Desperate times call for desperate music, which makes Lasso the perfect soundtrack for 2022. Limited to 400 copies.

[engl] Sorry State is proud to present the debut 8-song EP from Brazil’s Lasso. These eight short, fast songs fit with the long tradition of raw and urgent hardcore punk bands from Lasso’s part of the world, but there’s more than just aggro here. Lasso’s secret weapon is the subtle death rock sensibility that cuts through their songs, manifesting in the dynamic and memorable songcraft and in the dark, melodic guitar leads that occasionally pierce the mix. Carlos Casotti’s cover art beautifully captures the tension in Lasso’s music, balancing intensity and elegance in a way that’s immediately striking, but rich in depth and detail. Like other classic bands who blended hardcore and death rock—Rudimentary Peni, Part 1, False Confession—Lasso’s music is like an eerie and intense nightmare that stays with you long after you wake up. Limited to 350 copies.

[engl] For the third straight year, Brazil’s Lasso offers the world a new EP just as spring arrives in the northern hemisphere and fall sets in south of the equator. Mirroring the unpredictable weather this time of year, Lasso’s music floats between raw explosions of manic energy and tense brooding, invoking the cycles of anxiety and depression that grip so many of us these days. Tracks like “Respice Finem” and “Raiva Derramada Na Estrada” sound like the uncontrollable surge of adrenalin that accompanies a panic attack, and while the mid-paced riffs in “Tecido Social” and “Nó” might open up the pit, it’s only to swallow us whole. Illustrator Carlos Casotti also provides his best cover artwork for the band yet, an eerie and uncanny visualization of Lasso’s enigmatic take on hardcore punk. Lasso will tour the east coast and midwest United States this May. Look for an announcement and details about the tour soon.