By Tate DeCarlo

I met Esteban “Marty” Martha earlier this fall when he visited the University of Puget Sound with Tulengua, a bilingual, genre-breaking supergroup from southern California. Tulengua played an incredible set at the ASUPS Identity Day event and were kind enough to be interviewed on air by KUPS staff. I ended up chatting with Marty afterward, who has played drums with Tulengua for almost two years. We talked skateboarding, hardcore, and punk culture for a while, and he let slip that he plays in another band called The Hypocrites Club. When the words “post-hardcore” crossed his lips, my interest was instantly piqued, and he ended up showing me the band’s most recent album Go Back To Where You Belong, In My Memories, which was released on September 15th of this year. 

I was hooked no less than 30 seconds into the first track of the album. The sheer musical talent of the band’s members first caught my attention, but as I dove further into the album, the complex songwriting and expansive sonic terrain the band created blew me away. Hailing from San Diego, California, The Hypocrites Club consists of Esteban Martha on vocals and guitar, Vihno Martinez on bass, Edson Sevilla on guitar, and Nestor Sevilla on drums. The quartet met almost six years ago through a game of Super Smash Bros shared in a rehearsal studio, and haven’t looked back since. Though from diverse backgrounds, members were unified not only for their love of Smash, but also by their similar music tastes. Their influences include bands like Hail the Sun, Fall of Troy, Dance Gavin Dance, and Chon, as well as various anime soundtracks. Their style is technical and precise, rounded out by a variety of punk vocal styles, awesome riffs, and the desire to shred at breakneck speeds.

The first track on this album, “Someone’s Broken Heart Is Our Good Time,” perfectly embodies the sheer technical skill of the band’s guitarists. The track is very guitar driven, a steady blend of math-rock riffs that pensively unfurl until the distinctions between guitars are completely blurred. Pressing play on this album, I expected a barrage of hardcore power, but this sparkling intro was a refreshing surprise. 

However, The Hypocrite Club’s hardcore background bursts forth on the project’s second track, “Mistakes (feat. Quantum Relay).” Whispered vocals bloom into crooning supported by an impossibly fast lead guitar and tight, fill-heavy drums. This track set a precedent for complicated structure and vocal juxtaposition that remains prominent throughout the rest of Go Back To Where You Belong, In My Memories. The might of Martha and Edson Sevilla’s guitar force is further emphasized on this track, building on the momentum from the opener into delightful, high pitched breakdown.

While guitar stands out on the album’s first two songs, Nestor Sevilla’s talent on drums is immediately apparent on the third track, “French Toast Dreams.” His opening fill instantly caught my ear, and he continues to abuse the entire drum kit with tactical precision throughout this track. The shifts in intensity and complexity of this song makes it feel one slip-up away from pure chaos, but Sevilla’s tenacity on drums ties everything together, resulting in an incredibly active track. 

“Optimistic Autobots,” the album’s fourth track, is equally busy. At first I was thrown off by the dissonance in vocal layering, but the slow burn and drum build allows the initial wildness to meld in a cohesive sound. The song starts conversationally–with a comical interlude that investigates who smoked whose stash–but fades into guttural background vocals, finally spiraling into a full-tilt auditory onslaught. Though the song has its various cacophonic moments, they are laced together nicely by warm-toned guitar and soothing lyrical harmonies. This song is truly impressive for how different it sounds mere seconds apart.

Evocative of the album’s first track, “Lost Daze” curbs the band’s high tempo thrash and urges the listener to drift into a dreamlike state. An ambient, almost electronic sounding chord opens the song, reverberating into lapping waves of twinkling guitar. The track’s trancelike feeling is enhanced by strung-out vocals and Spanish-style acoustic guitar. This song almost feels like an intermission in the middle of Go Back To Where You Belong, In My Memories, offering listeners a chance to catch their breath, reflect, and collect themself before the following track crashes through their headphones.

And boy, does the sixth track, “Memories,” bring the tempo back up. This might be my favorite song on the album; between the bouncing throb of Vihno Martinez’s bass and Sevilla’s machine-gun drumming, this song feels like a real emotional release. The instrumentation and vocals flow together really well on this song, rising and crashing in a monumental wave of sound. This track really has it all, glorious guitar bridges, drum breakdowns, and Martha’s stunning vocals–which shine especially on this track. I feel this song might be the tightest on the album, as the individual skills of each musician are assembled perfectly. 

“Stay Sane” is another contender for my favorite track. At first, the opening guitar sounds straight out of an indie-pop hit, but it soon bleeds into greater technical intensity, though retaining its melodic qualities. With arguably the rawest sounding vocals on the album and prominent cymbals for punctuation, this song is a true post-hardcore tour de force. The tempo, tone, and vocal style are constantly shifting, roiling like a choppy sea into a decidedly epic guitar solo. Then, before there is even time for the listener to process the track’s complexity, the song is quenched by an outro consisting of nearly a minute of silence. While I do not know the rationale for this sonic absence, it feels like stepping out of a packed bar or venue into the blissful peace of an empty street. 

Go Back To Where You Belong, In My Memories finishes on a high note with anthemic “Dream On Kid (feat. Nino Amaru).” Between the galloping drums and rap-esque vocal deliveries, I imagine band members playing to their past selves on this track. This song feels like both an assurance that musical success is right around the corner, and a declaration that an album like this one won’t come without big dreams. This track leaves listeners optimistic and hopeful. Capturing the album’s overall collage style, the constant pound of speedy vocals and drum fills that ring like combinations thrown by boxing gloves clarify the band’s distinct style and overall talent.

The Hypocrites Club effectively blends elements of emo, math rock, and hardcore to create the truly unique and compelling post-hardcore sound of their album Go Back To Where You Belong, In My Memories. Each musician demonstrates true mastery and the band’s dedication to their craft is inarguable. Between a diverse range of vocals, technical guitar and bass that crosses genres for stylistic influence, and a drum powerplant that generates effusive energy, The Hypocrites Club is absolutely a band to keep watching. The only disappointing aspect of this album was its brevity, and I am eager to consume the music these accomplished artists continue to produce.

The Hypocrites Club can be found on all streaming platforms, and you can follow them on Instagram @thehypocritesclublive.

Tulengua is also available on all platforms, and their instagram is @tulengua_esta_nice