NJ's Massa Nera have long been staples of the current wave of screamo, and following a couple great splits, they're now finally ready to release their second full-length album, their first since their 2017 debut. It's called Derramar | Querer | Borrar and it's due December 2 via Zegema Beach Records. The album was co-produced by screamo vet Steve Roche (of Saetia and Off Minor) and the band, and they're presenting it as a concept album with recurring themes and lyrics throughout, songs that segue directly into each other, string arrangements, and a drone at the beginning and end of the album that turns it into a seamless loop if you're listening on repeat. All four members trade vocals and lyrics.
We're premiering its first single, "April 7th," an intensely heavy screamo song that sets the bar very high for this album. "Derramar | Querer | Borrar is a snapshot of our lives over the last three years," the band tells us. "In particular, it represents our struggle to exist as subjects within a system that has seemingly eradicated any and all hope for an alternative to capitalism. 'April 7th' is about the experience of endlessly toiling away at a job that takes infinitely more than it gives, and the feeling of being demeaned by abusive managers who can't understand (or refuse to remember) what that's like."
About the self-directed video, they add, "With this video, we wanted to express our thoughts on the relentless, soul-deadening inanity of work. Rare is the job that doesn’t subject you to an endless deluge of repetitive demands and intellectually shallow, unfulfilling tasks. Rarer still is the job that doesn’t expect you to fully internalize and believe the absurd notion that, despite all evidence to the contrary, you’re actually a valued and equal member of the company’s 'family.' And beneath every invocation of family, behind each appeal to the company’s ostensible mission or purpose, is an implicit message: 'Everything is great as-is. There’s no need to organize.' Personally, I find it impossible to exist within such an environment for an extended period of time without it bleeding into every part of my life. I’m sure most people can relate. That’s why we placed the performance footage and corporate/anti-union videos side-by-side, rather than cutting between them. It’s meant to be overwhelming. How can you be expected to focus on the things you love when work is monopolizing your energy and time?"
Massa Nera also have a bunch of shows coming up. They're opening one of the Saetia reunion shows (the one in Philly on November 20 at First Unitarian Church that also features Soul Glo), and they're hitting Brooklyn on December 3 at Gold Sounds with the very stacked lineup of Dreamwell, My Fictions, Stress Spells, and more TBA. They've also got a few NJ shows coming up and other stops in the Northeast. All dates are listed below.
Check out the new song and video:
Tracklist 01. An Endless Cycle // I Was More Than the Weight of My Work 7:27 02. Hipócrita 3:56 03. Lost Faces 4:27 04. Adrift 3:56 05. Shapeshift 6:17 06. April 7th 2:30 07. A Faint Goodbye 3:03 08. Tristeza Consume (Lowering the Blinds) 1:51 09. Eyeless Faces 2:20 10. Wanting (Ghosts Haunting Ghosts) 3:30 11. You Mean So Much More Than Misery to Me 4:22 12. Anchored 5:38
Massa Nera -- 2022 Tour Dates 11/05 - BLVD Bar & Grill, Elmwood Park, NJ (with Actor|Observer, Granite State, Life Itself, and more TBA)
11/20 - The First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA (with Saetia and Soul Glo)
12/01 - The Grotto, Glassboro, NJ (With Burial Dance, Raptureisdead, Silithyst, and more tba)
12/02 - Snake Pit, Philadelphia, PA (with Ostraca, Sonagi, and Gre/ay)
12/03 - Gold Sounds, Brooklyn, NY (with Dreamwell, My Fictions, Stress Spells, and more tba)
12/09 - New Jersey (venue tbd) (with Burial Dance, Hundreds of AU, Stress Spells, and more tbd)
12/10 - Paul's Place, Beverly, MA (with Cape Crush, This Body Is, Connor Ryan Hennessy, and more tba)
12/11 - New Haven, CT (venue tbd) (with Let's Get Invisible, Marion, Burning Hand, and more tba)
