DEB AND THE MENTALS - "Feel The Mantra" EP (2015)

After a long and much needed hiatus Made In America is back kids! Continuing the tradition of giving you the gift of listening to music that I like, and I think you should like too, I'll bring you up-and-coming bands from the western hemisphere on an occasional and infrequent basis. Mainly when I can find time to get away from my real job. In the past I've covered the United States, Canada, and Mexico but in what will be a first for blog, South America is now on the list!

Deb and The Mentals are a four piece no-frills garage rock band out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Their debut EP Feel The Mantra (2015) is chock full of energetic 90's alternative and Riot Grrrl angst. 

Veterans of the Sao Paulo indie music scene, Deborah Babilonia (vocals), Giuliano Di Martino (drums), Stanislaw Tchaick (bass), and Guilherme Hypolitho (guitars) have cut their teeth over the years with bands such as End Hits, P.U.S, Debbie and The Rocketeers, Veronica Kills and Water Rats. 

Made In America - Wimps, "Repeat" (2013)

Well we're into the first week of autumn here in the U.S. but I'm not quite ready to release summer yet, even though it was an unusually wet and mild one. I still want those songs and albums that at first dare you to dance around and sing along but then finish you off with a purple sky dusk that leeches lithium into your brain through your ear canals. Leaving you at peace with yourself and your surroundings.

But I don't have that band today, I do however have a great transition band that will ease you into autumn by feeding you sweet, hooky punk songs good enough to get you moving in your Chuck's, filled with sardonic woeful lyrics about the sourness and frustration of simply trying to live a life.

Made In America - Potty Mouth, "Hell Bent" (2013)

Bands like Northhampton, Massachusettes alt-rockers Potty Mouth make me happy. They make me happy because they sound so damn good and they sound so good because they've been able to accomplish what's always been so hard to do in music. That's allowing their influences to gently affect their music but not overwhelm it, letting it feel familiar but original. They also rock.

Potty Mouth are made up of Abby Weems, Ally Einbinder, Phoebe Harris, and Victoria Mandanas. The quartet formed in 2011 and quickly released their Sun Damaged EP the following year which emanated the best parts of 90's alternative from Bikini Kill to Sebadoh and Sonic Youth, that's driving rhythms and melodic choruses. Later that year they released the first single and video for the song "Damages" from what would become their debut album, Hell Bent.

2013 has them gearing up to release their debut Hell Bent on Marshall Teller Records (UK) and Old Flame Records (US). The release date is set for September 17th. If the single "The Spins" is any representation of what's on Hell Bent then you'd be doing yourself a favor to pre-order the album right now.