HIGHLIGHTS The very young band from Bilbao, Head Holes, present their second full-length album, 'Requiem'. A concept album at 45 RPM, in which the narrative rides on the back of 90's punk, grunge and hard rock. They are an ambitious reality that will surprise fans of previous generations and are the great Basque hope of rock'n'roll. DESCRIPTION None of them is over 21 years old. Eder del Valle (vocals), Naroa Esturo (drums), Xabier Aguado (guitars) and Jon Mikel Batiz (bass) make up a band without musical prejudices combining influences from 90s punk, grunge and hard rock, among others. After releasing their first album ecade of Decay' in 2022, Head Holes decided to explore new artistic horizons by working in an unconventional way. Therefore, they set out to do something that few people in the Basque Country had tried before: a conceptual narrative album, where every detail matters, but where each track can also be enjoyed independently, without the need to know the backstory. "Zero was committed to a psychiatric hospital five years ago for repeated acts of violence and homicide. After years of experimental therapy, the scientists in charge of his case found a method of eliminating his memories and aggressive tendencies and decided to test their theory by trying to reintegrate him into society'. This is the starting point of the story, set to rock'n'roll music sung in English. In Requiem, the band creates a sonic universe that, like chapters of a book, is unravelled in the 11 tracks that make up the album. With references to Kafka, the Hikikomori and plenty of self-destruction, the story becomes increasingly twisted in a spiral of originality, power and 45 rpm rock'n'roll. The album opens with the blistering 'New Beginnings' and 'Hide! ', in which they passionately mix Detroit and Seattle at Formula 1 speed. The danceable 'Nightclub' (previously released as a digital single) is reminiscent of British bands like Kaiser Chiefs, and 'Over and Over' shows their power-pop side in the vein of Red Kross and Teenage Fun Club. The grungy 'I Don't Shine' closes side A. Side B doesn't give you a break either. Speedy power pop in 'Wasted', the wild punk rock anthem 'Hikikomori', 'Relive', which reminds us of the best of Bad Religion, and in the same vein 'No No No'. The closing track, 'Savior', is where they showcase their more melodic and acoustic side. It is a very entertaining and varied album in which, without any kind of concern, Head Holes moves with ease through multiple influences but showing an unusual compositional and interpretative veteranism for a quartet of twenty-somethings. Their hard-hitting, hard-hitting live shows, full of attitude and followed by an ever-growing fan base of their generation, are a must-see. They have also attracted the attention of 'Older' people who think that Head Holes sound like what they have been listening to since they were their own age. An ambitious reality embodied in Requiem, which confirms them as the great hope of Basque rock'n'roll.