Soundays Are Pepelo Curcio (vocals and guitar), Fede Sacarelo (guitar), Juanma Oholeguy (drums) and Diego Placeres (bass).

There is a 1975 movie named “Dog Day Afternoon” which tells the story of a pair of bankrobbers who are led by Sonny Wortzik (played by Al Pacino). The movie was directed by Sidney Lumet, and it is still considered a seminal work in the history of anti-establishment films.

I remember that movie every single time I come across any Uruguayan brit pop band. It is the perfect summation of what these bands are attempting to do over here, and I specially think of the scene in which Pacino starts screaming “Attica! Attica!” (an allusion to the Attica Prison riots) in a desperate attempt to make those who have been forced into their company to join them and fight against the system. It just reminds me all too clearly of the fight that such Uruguayan bands aim to put up, and the reactions they cause for all the right and wrong reasons.

I was already disenchanted with the first wave of brit pop bands that emerged in Uruguay (led by Astroboy and Boomerang), if only because those bands always propounded that paying an unveiled homage was synonymous with being creative, and that singing in English challenged the status quo of Uruguayan music. It did not. The ways those bands imitated the music created elsewhere only spoke of a lack of imagination, and it polarized the music scene in a way that meant you couldn’t like La Vela Puerca or No Te Va Gustar if you listened to the Beatles or The Who. I just wonder how many of the musicians involved in Astroboy or Boomerang actually realized that the favorite album of Sebastián Teysera (La Vela Puerca’s singer) was no other than “Tommy” by The Who.

Soundays is a little different from these bands because their influences are certainly wider and that they are very good instrumentalists, but the band is not far removed from other Uruguayan ensembles that sing in English in the sense that you don’t have a thorough understanding of who they are when you listen to their songs. When you listen to their latest EP (“OLHA”; it can be downloaded for free on their site), you just get a mix of styles and influences that don’t add to a cohesive identity. You get to know the bands they appreciate, not the band that they think they are, or the performers that they want to become.

The British influence is all over “Colourful Face” and “Locked Love”, songs that are reminiscent of bands like Blur and Franz Ferdinand – and not necessarily in the best way. For its part, “To Hawaii” adds a West Coast vibe through harmonies that are a bit uneasy, as is the garage rock of “She Feels Like The Weather” (a cut that sounds like The Jam at their most primeval). But it must be said that both “Ghost In My Town” and “Don’t Matter If It Hurts Lights Will Guide Us To The Sun” are distinguished compositions that elicit full-on performances. The latter in particular provides their drummer with a ready chance to take off, and I have to say he is one of the most exciting Uruguayan drummers I have listened to in quite some time.

And “Ghost In My Town” exemplifies all that is right about Soundays. The song showcases a very good grasp of melody and structure in its short, self-possessed duration that makes you forgive (and even forget) some of the least effective compositions included on the EP. It makes clear how tight the band can play (no wonder the result of having been together for a couple of years now). If “Don’t Matter If It Hurts Lights Will Guide Us To The Sun” gave drummer Juanma Oholeguy an opportunity to shine, “Ghost In My Town” presents the whole band as performers who can sound assured and engaging. These two songs (and another early tune of theirs named “Gypsy Love” that is sadly no longer listed on their MySpace profile) can be used to make a case that Soundays have something to say, and that they can say it in a musical language they can call their own. And (more importantly) it is a language that others could not only understand but actually cherish.

You know, as much as I disapproved of the existence of a band like Astroboy, I was never, ever angry at them because of how they approached music. You don’t get angry at people who don’t have the ability to do something but that still try to do it. In more senses that one, they are highlighting the worth of fighting for something that they believe in. You can be disappointed at the results, but being angry at them is unfair. I do, however, get a little angry at bands that clearly misspend their skills and abilities when they could be doing something more productive artistically. Because if you spend your whole life screaming “Attica! Attica!”, there comes a point  you will just end up losing your voice. And that will be the very same moment you get to realize you could have used it for something more purposeful.

As far as Soundays go, I frankly believe they have already begun discovering a more meaningful way in which to communicate through music. The two standout songs I discussed above are the clearest indicators we could find.  When all is said and done, that is the way I like to think of OLHA:  as the work that showed them the way to go as artists, and (more significantly) as the one piece that could motivate listeners to wait for their next release, and to wait for it eagerly. To see where they take us next. Because I can assure you the four guys who make up the band are not standing still. And I can also tell you they are the kind of people that go forwards no matter what.

This is Soundays’ MySpace profile, and they also have an official page where you can download their music for free. They have their own Flickr page, too.