On their 2024 release ‘Mall Grab’, alternative band Integra Pink fused indie rock with a hefty dose of post punk angularity on a selection of short and punchy tracks that showed off their energetic style in a very direct way. Even from first listen, it was hugely gratifying to hear The Cure’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’ era guitar tones cutting through the heart of ‘Push Pop’, and ‘A Forest’s incessant rhythm jostling against a vocal that felt decidedly more new wave on the equally cool ‘As You Feel’. With tracks like ‘Lockjaw’ owing more to punk by pushing forth a harder guitar sound, and ‘How’s It Going To End?’ leaning further towards smart alt-pop when applying a funk bassline beneath a heavily filtered vocal, the album threw so much into a musical blender, it was likely that most listeners would come away having heard something interesting.

What was absent, however, were any Spanish language recordings – an interest that had been teased on 2023’s ‘Sangre’, a brilliant track melding reggae rhythms and new wave flourishes – but that’s been put right on this two tracker, released during the fading weeks of 2025.

‘Con Tiempo’ immediately sets an odd mood in place with the help of what sounds like a cartoon sample, before exploding into a fast tempo workout where crashing cymbals and heavy toms tap into punky drumming. Augmented by an equally punchy bass and semi-thrashy guitar, this shows the full throttle Integra Pink in superb shape. The guitars are surprisingly low in the mix, but this doesn’t actually spoil the track, since some really bright keys – owing a little more to Devocore/Euro-centric egg punk – are on hand to bring almost as much energy to the piece. With such a busy arrangement, the vocal is in danger of feeling a little lost, and as with parts of ‘Mall Grab’, the use of effects makes some of the lyrics less audible. That said, it’s a stylistic choice that actually works; rather than taking the front and centre directness of classic punk, the energetic vocal pierces through in a way that actually makes the track feel busier, and even a little claustrophobic in a way that makes the urgency felt. A simple Spanish hook is pleasingly direct, inviting audience participation, but it’s actually the instrumental break that offers the track’s greatest feature. A pointed guitar solo would have certainly set this off to indie punk perfection, but instead, a mariachi melody coming via a bright trumpet solo brings a genuine quirk to this multi-lingual jam in a way that makes it all the more irresistible.

Cranking the guitars, ‘Moco de Gorila’ isn’t quite as smart, but some great production values bring out the best in the band. The opening guitar salvo feels more punky, before things twist into a dub-influenced bassline, only to twist again to fuse post punk guitar with a busy rhythm. An echoing voice and guitar lean into the band’s dub-ish interests, but its a frantic drum part that constantly catches the ear with a tight rhythm that echoes the best moments from Bloc Party’s debut EP, before the indie rock/post punk rhythms fall away to allow for a hugely percussive interlude that’s more of a Latin persuasion. Linking everything, a heavily treated vocal has a lot of energy, but not always a clear focus. As before, though, when heard as part of the band’s “bigger picture” it works just fine; from a purely stylistic angle, it actually gives the track an even artier feel.

You won’t find anything here that’s as punchy as ‘Let Go’, but thankfully, you won’t find anything as frivolous as ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ – which sounded like something written after a Flight of The Conchords binge – either. With Integra Pink’s refusal to settle, every release brings a new surprise, but if you connected with ‘Mall Grab’ – and it’s very likely that, assuming Integra Pink are already on your radar that you did – then this will make a very interesting companion piece. It’s a short listen, but one that helps the Integra Pink picture for 2024/5 feel a little more “complete”. Recommended.

November 2025