Grito Exclamac!ón
Is Mexico City’s Emerging Rebel Yell
By Jeanette Diaz
Photo by Zai Nájera
Emerging from the heart of Mexico City’s sprawling urban pulse, a new wave of alternative underground is clawing its way to the surface. Breaking through is Grito Exclamac!ón, an energizing five-piece band channeling the grime and grit of everyday life into music that defies expectations, challenges injustice, and reclaims punk for what it has always been: a furious, headstrong voice against complacency, conformity, and cultural erasure.
After clocking out from their day jobs, the band logs into Zoom to discuss the rise of their moonlit endeavor. Jordana “Nana” Pank (vocals), Paulina Villagrán (vocals/trumpet), Rafa Romay (guitar), Eduardo Gante (bass), and Sebastián Palacios (drums) are friends turned music phenoms performing under a moniker that’s part protest, part punctuation. Initially toying with the idea of calling themselves Oh!, they leaned into a clever alternative that captures their ethos: bold, commanding, and impossible to ignore.
Grito Exclamac!ón formed in 2019 when Gante and Romay connected through Mexico City’s infamous alternative music scene. They gradually brought in mutual friends and collaborators who shared a musical and ideological foundation. “We have very different musical influences for our individual playing,” says Palacios. “But overall, very similar libraries that include a little of everything, which lends itself to our symbiotic creation process.”
Though their discography is still young, it already feels vital and purposeful. Their debut single “Tierra de Nadie” dropped in 2023, followed by their self-titled debut album in July 2024. Their music examines personal and collective realities, creating anthems of survival and resistance in a world in turmoil. The result is raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically honest — a sound that fuses chaos with catharsis.
The band’s lo-fi music pulses with distorted punk fury and experimental offbeat flair, layered with Latin American rhythms and cited influences ranging from no wave and jazz to riot grrrl, ska, and spoken word. An instrument she only began learning after joining the band, Villagrán’s trumpet adds striking textures, while Pank’s dynamic vocals are amplified by her expressive stage presence. Gante inverts basslines to mimic rhythm guitar, Romay warps his guitar sound sans pedalboards, and Palacios blends punk aggression with indie-dance grooves. One song may evoke Sonic Youth’s rawness, the next Bikini Kill’s fire, and another the sprawl of Black Country, New Road — an association the band doesn’t fully comprehend but embraces under their no-limits philosophy.
Grito Exclamac!ón belongs to a global punk lineage often flattened into a white, male, anglocentric history. But punk’s roots run far deeper and more diverse than often credited. Long before it was commercialized into safety-pinned fashion, punk was a multicultural movement forged in economic struggle, political unrest, and artistic rebellion. Latine acts like ? and the Mysterians, Psh Psh, Todos Tus Muertos, Los Crudos, Massacre 68, the Bags, and Tijuana No!, to name very few, carved paths of resistance through repressive atmospheres. “I was inspired by the band and our music to learn the importance of liberating myself, not staying quiet, and talking about things in our realities as loudly as I need to,” says Pank. “The music comes from pain and resistance. It belongs to everyone who refuses to be silenced.”
Within this context, Grito Exclamac!ón isn’t a radical departure nor borrowing punk — they’re rightfully reclaiming it. Their music, driven by anti-capitalist rejection and revolutionary fury, creates space where disorder becomes refuge. “We have this privilege and opportunity to hold a microphone or instrument in our hands,” Romay explains. “What other option is there but to amplify the voices of those who aren’t afforded one?”
What sets them apart in today’s sonic landscape is how seamlessly they fuse political consciousness with personal vulnerability. This is rooted in their collaborative songwriting, where lyrics and music arise from jam sessions and shared reflections. Their songs fluidly shift between societal critiques such as gentrification (“Despojo”), postcolonial identity (“Tierra de Nadie”), and class (“El Squash”), but also intimate themes like identity politics (“Narcisista”), anxiety (“No Pierdes Tu Tiempo”), and isolation (“Es Esto y Es el Otro”). Far from empty expressions of rage, their lyrics are urgent calls to action that resonate with listeners navigating the shifting socio-political landscape of contemporary Mexico City and metropolises globally.
In December 2024, they hit a major milestone: opening for reunited headliners Austin TV at Mexico City’s historic Zócalo. With just one album and zero compromises, the moment felt like a wildcard. But there they were, families behind them, fans before them, their defiant sound echoing through the same plaza where revolutions had been born. “One of the most remarkable things about that show was the fan support,” Pank recalls. “They created a WhatsApp network coordinating group travel, safety plans, and even event documentation. It’s cool to see how independent music can build active communities that care for each other and create spaces where the sun shines for everybody.”
"It’s cool to see how independent music can build active communities that care for each other and create spaces where the sun shines for everybody.”
They emphasize often, and clearly, that the band’s rocketing success isn’t theirs alone. A cornerstone of their ethos is collective effort. “Since the start, we’ve carried the belief that every single person involved in our journey in any way is just as important as we are,” says Gante. “That’s why we say, ‘Todos somos Grito.’ We’re more than a band, we’re a collective. We’re an ecosystem where everyone's role makes this work together.”
Looking ahead, Grito Exclamac!ón stays focused on impact over fame. They’re committed to remaining autonomous, creating art, supporting causes, and uplifting each other and their communities. “Our motivation is not fame or money, it’s our connection with the people. No one can take that away from us,” says Romay. Their long-term goal? To remain uncompromising — by any means necessary.
In an era where punk risks dilution into mainstream aesthetics and progressive socio-political stances can end careers, Grito Exclamac!ón is a reminder of the genre’s roots and revolutionary power. They’re not a lone shout into the void, but an open invitation to join the chorus. The future is screaming, and Grito Exclamac!ón is turning up the volume to prove punk isn’t dead; it’s alive in every shared clamor, every outstretched hand, and every crowd that refuses to be silenced.
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