neurotica, "NEUROTICA"

Restless rock arrangements that shift as quickly as the Costa Rican tide

neurotica is a three-piece prog rock band from Costa Rica that released its debut album in 1997 and seems to have remained invisible to the internet ever since. The band was founded by the prolific Costa Rican guitarist Ricardo (“Richie”) Nieto, who, along with neurotica bassist Chalos Trejo, also co-founded the 80s-style rock group Índigo. Many of the more prominent elements of Índigo - Nieto’s Police-inspired chord progressions, Trejo’s rapid-fire funk riffs - also appear on NEUROTICA, minus the restrictions of conventional song structures. Rounded out by drummer Rodrigo Bermúdez, NEUROTICA also channels a bit of the late 90s’ post-hardcore energy à la At The Drive In, but anchors it with an enduring sense of groove that keeps the tracks more playful than punishing. 

There’s looseness in the groove, but the songs themselves maintain a structural integrity that chisels off the worst of prog’s 70s-era bloat. References to architecture are implied by the cover art and wholly appropriate, as neurotica builds with the self-discipline of a team that knows their constructions must stand without toppling over. Rather than try to defy physical laws, the band instead creates their own, crafting songs with Escher-esque interiors that bewilder with their dizzying internal logic. Tracks progress like tours through an eclectic collection of rooms, connected by trapdoors and hidden stairways that lead back to the floor you thought you’d just left. One exit’s through the gift shop, and the rest don’t matter; if you stay long enough to find them, you realize you’re not ready to leave yet anyway.

Bonus Pick: If you’d like to lean into the artsy post-hardcore vibes, check out Hong Kong’s tfvsjs.