When I think of the idea of “sabotage,” I primarily think of it in romanticized, guerrilla-style terms. In other words, an assault on critical systems—military targets, key infrastructure, communication networks—meant to cripple some nefarious enemy. You know, rebel shit. But, in truth, the concept is far more extensive, covering a far-flung nexus of human actions and motivations. So yeah, sometimes it means thwarting your oppressors in a life-or-death struggle for liberation. Other times, though, it’s merely a tactic for petty revenge or self-annihilation. Justice, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
What to make, then, of the new single and video from Atlanta via Puerto Rico punks LADRONES? With its gritty, tension-inducing rumble and bulldozer riffs, “Sabotaje” (Spanish for “Sabotage,” duh) immerses the listener in an atmosphere of unease. Vocalist Valeria Sánchez embraces the anxiety, punctuating the band’s rowdy din with a seething assault on the perils of the ego. Directed by Kenneth Trujillo and produced by Kojak Films, the video exacerbates the dread by flooding the viewer with scenes of kidnapping, violence, and torture.
Or does it? As the clip continues, the protagonist, played by Sánchez, experiences terror, shock, and, ultimately, an awakening. In that moment, the paradigms shift and critical questions spiral to the surface. Are the hooded duo that abducted her captors or liberators? Are the eyedrops and milky concoction they employ tools of suppression or the keys to her escape? By the time “Sabotaje” concludes, it appears what we’re witnessing is not, in fact, a violation but a transformation. Sometimes the worst oppressor is the self.
Watch/listen above.
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Bandcamp: ladrones.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @ladronespr
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