Use It or Lose It

The first time I heard it, what caught my attention most was that rhythm that shifts between urgency and irony, as if every note were telling a biting joke. “Use It or Lose It” doesn’t sound like a conventional rock song: it kicks off with a bass line that sounds like it came straight out of a street jam session, but suddenly gets tangled up with protest-sounding guitars and choruses that repeat the phrase like a slogan. There’s something about the way the drums hit right before the vocals kick in that makes you realize this isn’t just any song. The main riff doesn’t stay static in a four-beat measure; it stretches and contracts, as if it were alive and breathing.

They recorded it in 1997, in the midst of that first album that put them on the map and ended up being a seismic event in the Latin rock scene. Molotov wasn’t looking to sound polished or commercial: they wanted the album to have a garage rock vibe, with lyrics that cut deep and music that doesn’t ask for permission. Gustavo Santaolalla and Aníbal Kerpel were behind the controls, and although the album was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Latin Alternative Rock Album in 1998, what really stood out was that mix of rage and humor that runs through every song. “Use It or Lose It” is 4:22 long, but those minutes pack more ideas than many three-and-a-half-minute songs. It’s not just an opening track—it’s the punch that signals what’s to come won’t be easy to forget.