T.V. caliente

The story behind

Sumo recorded T.V. caliente in 1986 as part of Llegando los monos, their second album. The song lasts 4 minutes and 40 seconds and sounds like a cross between the post-punk they were exploring and the raw edge that set them apart in the Buenos Aires scene. It’s not a track that seeks catchy melodies; instead, it relies on a rhythm that seems to escape traditional time signatures, as if the drums and bass were conversing in their own language. The bass plays a constant counterpoint, almost as if it were carrying the lead voice, while the guitar cuts in with surgical precision. It’s one of those pieces that doesn’t announce when it starts or ends, but once it begins, it doesn’t let go.