CASTRO

If Razorcake reviews had headlines, this one would be “Aging Norwegian Punks Form Band and Release Outstanding Debut 7”.” In lieu of such a sea change taking place in this publication, let me give you the facts. In terms of personnel, Castro includes members of Life… But How To Live It?, Angor Wat, and Israelvis. All three of the songs owe a huge debt to the vocals of Katja Osvold whose voice possesses a quivering, yet formidable, quality that I find hugely appealing and which makes this record for me with its dynamic delivery. Musically, it’s a fusion of punk and rock in equal parts, much like Osvold’s previous band, Life… But How To Live It?, was able to do so well, with guitars adding a handful of memorable leads to provide some extra flesh to the bones of the songs. All three tracks are superb, but in “Glass House” Castro has written a track which broods, bites, and explodes over a four-minute period, having me reach to return the stylus to the opening groove as soon as the last note has faded away. –Rich Cocksedge (Kong Tiki, kongtiki.com/ Boss Tuneage, bosstuneage.com) - Razorcake

Castro “The River Need” album review
Words by David Ferguson

When I was younger, I was a big fan of The Distillers. Female fronted punk? What doesn’t rock about that? That’s what I love so much about my new favourite Norwegian post-hardcore punk rockers, CASTRO. Just released is their fantastic debut album: “The River Need".

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CASTRO are a brand new band, fresh to the ears of the punk community. However, those of the scene who are familiar with their Norwegian punk will definitely want to tune in.Featuring members from Israelvis, The School, Funny Farm, Angor Wat and boasting & Katja Benneche Osvold from Life; But How To Live It on vocals, CASTRO are essentially a Norwegian punk super group. The album kicks off with Our Loss. Weighing in at just over a minute long, the fast pace and snappy lyrics are enough to start a quick pogo pit. It’s short, sweet and punk gold.

Smooth Operator may look like a filler due to the length, but it’s much more than just a track to be glazed over. The lyrics are sung fast, the kick drum doesn’t find time to slow down, the guitar’s are doing overtime and before you know it, the fun is all over. If you want to fully appreciate this, you’re going to want to put it on loop a couple of times. Spin this track a couple of times, you won’t regret it.

“It’s a long, long way. It’s a long, long way”, Back To Basic. This has to be a highlight for me. The riff is metallic punk, the bass is heavy and the drums are pacy. The aggression of the instrumental behind the rock style sung vocals go hand in hand. From start to finish, you’re headbanging. You’ll be singing the chorus to this one for a while afterwards.

The best of The River Need to me is the short, essential straight up punk songs.
(Your) Hidden Agenda (Is So Obvious) is just that. The snare is raw, the riffs are crunchy, the vocals kill and the band take it straight to the punch. There is no messing around on this one.

Named after the album, The River Need is another favoruite track. CASTRO manage to balance fast and slow perfectly, finding a good common ground in between key speed parts.
The track is much more dark and personal. It’s a sad punk song.

Other tracks to keep your ears open for are Indigo, Detective, Pagan Lullaby and Paleface,which I personally recommend.

21st Century punk is killing it. CASTRO have found themselves an exceptional sound and deserve recognition. If you don’t know them yet, get to know them right now. The River Need is an impressive release and I’m very excited to see what comes in the future for the Norwegian punk rockers.

The album is out now and available via Boss Tuneage, available also as a Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl version with a CD in PVC wallet.

[Words by David Ferguson] - Backstagepassmusic