New Definitivos Album – Scars and Decay

The Press About The New Definitivos Album

Graphic designer makes it to international expo with record cover for the Definitivos:
“My work between David Bowie and The Rolling Stones . . . blissful is that.”

OTEGEM/KORTRIJK Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, The Beatles and . . . Definitivos. Clearly, the Kortrijk punk pride is in good company these days. The record sleeve that Otegemnaar Coert De Decker – Kustomtype (56) designed for the Definitivos can be seen at the “Music Graphics 1” exhibition in Brussels. The work hangs there among some world-famous record covers. “Surely this is a nice appreciation of my work,” he says.

“Hi Coert, we really love your work and would love to include you in our exhibition.” When Coert Decker (56) of Kustomtype Foundry from Otegem received that note in his mailbox, he almost fell off his chair. The exhibition in question is “Music Graphics 1” at the Seed Factory in Brussels. That expo is dedicated to images in music: vinyl records and their most striking covers. Some famous record covers at the expo include Revolver by The Beatles, created by Klaus Voorman, Andy Warhol for The Velvet Underground (indeed, the one with the banana), an Andy Warhol design for Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones, and some covers with work by the famous cartoonist Robert Crumb, alongside records by Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson. 

“With the image, I want to express that young people should stand up for themselves more. I think young people today are brought up with too many rules.”

Angry Girl

“And my work hangs among them,” Kustomtype beams. The Otegemnaar is an independent designer and likes to work around music. For instance, he designed the cover of the album Scars and Decay, the new record by Kortrijk punk band Definitivos. The cover features the face of an angry girl. “That’s my 4-year-old niece Maryvette. With the image, I want to express that young people should stand up for themselves more. I think young people today are brought up with too many rules. People used to take to the streets if they didn’t like something. Now that no longer happens. Everyone wonders what to do about certain things that are not going well, but nobody does anything anymore. The record sleeve shows a strong image with a power we find in punk music. It is also an ode to subcultures. Young people should get to know that too, it doesn’t all have to be mainstream.”

Coert’s design hangs there among a lot of famous work. © RV

It is Coert’s first time working for the Definitivos. “Although you can’t call this work,” he laughs. “When the band asked me to make their cover, I didn’t hesitate. I had put some totally different proposals on the table for them to choose from. It’s kind of nice that they went for the one with my niece’s picture.” 

A little problem

When the designer was asked to show work of his at the Brussels expo, he immediately thought of the cover of Scars and Decay. “But the record had not yet been released when the exhibition opened its doors. However, the musicians did not object to me already showing the cover at the expo. Apparently, the organisers had been following me on Facebook for a while and contacted me if I wanted to participate in the event. Of course I wanted to. In fact, I was very honoured; after all, it is a nice appreciation for my work. It did make me feel something when I first went to see it.” The expo will be on display until the end of this month at the Seed Factory at 19 Avenue de la Volunteer in Brussels. All the works will be included in a catalogue.

Kustomtype’s niece was happy to collaborate on the record cover. © Henk Deleu

Written by Nel Mertens 28/05/2022

For their band name, the primal band that once sang of their Kortrijk nights found inspiration from a Portuguese cigarette brand. Although they have had many silences since their peak period around 1980, it is their loud passages that stick. And that Definitivos are still finding inspiration and thus releasing inspiring songs is evident on their new EP, Scars and Decay.

We get to hear four brand new tracks and the song 18:38, which until now has only known a digital life. Lucien Callewaert (vocals), Peter Coppens (guitar), Rik Masselis (drums), and Frank Frans Holvoet (bass) return to the sound of their more punk, early years, always staying true to socially critical themes.

With liberating, screaming vocals and steaming guitars in Can You, the foursome urges us to stand up for ourselves and think critically.

With Bambino, they take us back to turbulent childhood years in even more turbulent families, with growing pains that reveal themselves in a deep, rumbling bass line, in which the guitar, disturbed, slowly sows its turmoil.

Mohamed Ahmed tells the story of the illegal man who died on the highway in our country in 2018—a punishing song in which the drums tap a strong punk rock rhythm, to which the punchy melodic guitar line connects and Callewaert sprinkles the necessary nonchalant dirt with his words.

The Faker And A Phone denounces social media and fascism with urgent grimness.

And as of now, also on vinyl: 18:38. A song about relational problems and depressive feelings stemming from them, which appeared as a digital single in 2020. The title simply refers to the length of the track and allows us to enjoy its clever construction for that long as well. Because more time was taken for the song, there was clearly a lot of attention to detail in the intro, instrumental interludes, and solos, and more variation is also heard in the vocal line. “No More Waisting Time!” Every second on this EP, the gentlemen knew how to spend well!

Scars and Decay is available digitally and on vinyl. The handsome cover art was designed by Kustomtype and has been spotted among the top 200 cover designs alongside Zappa, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Magazine, Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers . . . among others at Music Graphics in Brussels.

Definitivos – Scars and Decay on Spotify