Written by Barlovv
>Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
>Punk/Hardcore/Noise Rap
>Released March 25, 2022
>Bandcamp Link
“Between torching PD’s and taking knees omg I choose the former.”
It’s not often you get to say that the from the second you put an album on, until the end, you got the absolute shit kicked out of you and have that be a good thing. Yet here we are with Diaspora Problems, and this album from Soul Glo is taking no prisoners and has no interest in easing you into it. Asking explicitly from the jump in Gold Chain Punk “Can I live?” over and over.
I’m not going to be the white guy who explains the unbelievable amount of systemic racial bullshit facing black people, and I’m not going to be the Canadian who tells you how fucked up things are in America, plus if you need me to tell you – you’re not going to be convinced. Here’s what I’m going to say: Soul Glo have captured the anger and the frustration of this moment in time, every one that has passed, and every single one that is coming.
This world is an absolutely nightmare and Soul Glo are doing exactly what punk music is supposed to do: reminding us and not taking any shit or allowing for us to make excuses. The world is laid at our feet and set right the fuck on fire. Diaspora Problems has set a benchmark for punk music (so says this 33 year old white dude…), and anything less than this level of ferocity is simply a half measure.
The Bottom Line:
An album as chaotic and ferocious as the times in which it was released, Diaspora Problems does not stop pummeling you until it’s over. A unique and excellent piece of work, trying to call it punk or hardcore almost seems reductive. Put this at the top of your list, immediately.