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Album Review: The ReAktion – Selknam

Making noise in the alternative rock scene is a band from Chile named The ReAktion, their newest album titled Selknam. With their music, the group is bringing attention to many of the problems that occur throughout the world. Curious about the album’s title, I discovered that “Selk’nam” is the name of one of the last aboriginal people from the Patagonian region of South America. Paying homage to their origins with their music are members Simon Rojas doing vocals, guitar, and programming, Diego Sagredo also on guitar, vocals, and programming, Leonardo Signorelli on drums and vocals, Philip Monypenny on bass and vocals, and lastly Felipe Alvarez on keys, percussions, and vocals. Their newest album was released on the 21st of October through Mainia Recordings.

 

The intro to the album is titled “Intro 144k”  and quite honestly, it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before. The short track is composed of bell chimes, chants, and had me hoping  the rest of the album did not play out like this. Thankfully, it did not only because I was expecting much more from an alternative rock band.

 

What follows is the song “10 Steps To Success” and it is not what I was expecting after listening to the intro. The opening to this song sounds like something straight out of Billboard’s Top 10 Pop hits. However the song then shifts into a heavy metal-dubstep love child. It later backtracks into a pop-like verse once again and plays with an EDM-esque tracking. 

 

“Teach Me How To Stop The World”  features raspy metal vocals against synth-infused drum sequences, heavy guitars and bass. It’s reminiscent  of Japanese rock duo Vamps’ style of production. Complete with ambitious instrumentalization and a lead vocal delivery similar to Hyde’s.

 

“Thousands Of Memories” opens with the stylings of Finnish band HIM. The musical composition lightens up significantly. The ReAktion’s sound is definitely very versatile throughout the album, and it’s hard to tell that this track is the same band from the introductory piece.

 

“I Am Somebody” puts deep thoughts behind the lyrics. Forcing listeners to question whether government “systems” are  broken or were built from the start to fail the people. The guitars and bass keep this song together amidst the synths, drumming, and accompanying  chanting, urging people to always  voice their demands despite the oppression.

 

“No Kryptonite To Hold Us Back” is an acoustic-like track that has minimal piano and digital notes throughout the record. Despite how different this song is compared to the rest of the album it is a perfect fit for Selknam. It showcases the vocal supports of the entire band and allows for the abilities of this band to be displayed in a different light.

 

Selknam ends with “Enter The Fourth Dimension”, a song that puts forth the sound and style that is The ReAktion. Despite the multiple variations throughout the entire album, the final track returns to the likings of the first half of the album and brings it all together neatly.

 

To learn more about this band, check out their pages linked below:

The ReAktion Homepage

The ReAktion on Facebook

The ReAktion on Twitter

About Nadia Pulgar

Concert lover, music fanatic. If it sounds good to me, the rest doesn't matter.

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