We’re calling it right now: The Past Is Still Alive by Hurray For the Riff Raff is one of the best albums of this year. Alynda Segarra, the constant behind Hurray For the Riff Raff’s swirling lineup, has poured their essence into this album. On The Past, Segarra reckons with the ghosts of their youth as a crust punk train hopping from New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and all points between. That’s a bit how this album works as well: Segarra regards the past and the future with a thousand-yard stare.
Segarra recorded The Past shortly after their father’s death, giving these songs a greater sense of loss. The grief here is many-layered, though: for people, places that aren’t the way they used to be, the steadfast courage needed for a future that is all but guaranteed to demand the best of us — and will cost many, many people’s lives.
But for now, tenderness. There is something about the transition between “Snakeplant (The Past Is Still Alive)” and “Vetiver” that make me tear up now how many times I’ve listened to it. (This is why it’s imperative that you listen to this on Bandcamp or an ad-free listening service!!!! Maybe buy it on Bandamp too idk.) Segarra’s meditations on their punk rock youth, paired with their childhood recollections of their father, are so poignant and so beautiful, a love letter to all of their past selves and the youthful optimism that we could still hold on to — if we dare.
I interviewed Segarra for the forthcoming issue of No Depression. They shared that they wanted to find a way to grab hold of these memories before they disappeared, to understand where and who they’ve come from, to hold on to the sincere belief that we can create whatever we want out of the dust, because it’s that joyful creativity and community that we’ll need in the hard times to come.
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