Los Bunkers: Neoliberalismo y postmodernidad en las canciones "Sabes qué" y "Deudas"

Abstract

According to Pierre Bourdieu (1997), neoliberalism is structured around four key concepts: deregulation, competition, individualization, and consumption. This economic model was “successfully” implemented in Chile in an experimental fashion during the dictatorship and later consolidated with the advent of democracy, under the premise of a free and triumphant Chile, perceived as an object of “envy” within the South American context (Moulian 2002). As Moulian argues, the Chilean citizen of the transition period became a vivid product of the dominant model, disconnected from past social struggles: a clean slate now guided by a “promissory” ideal of the present, reinforced by advertising and the media of the dominant postmodern culture, which promotes consumption as a permanent and inescapable behavior (Bauman 1997). From a retrospective perspective, the Chilean pop-rock band Los Bunkers reflects the contingencies and impacts of neoliberalism and postmodernity in the early post-dictatorship years. Through the construction of a lyrical voice –besieged by consumption, competition, hopelessness, debt, and loneliness– the band addresses social issues that affect both the personal and collective spheres. This is evident in songs such as “Sabes que…” and “Deudas,” in which the group –through both musical and poetic registers– succeeds in fostering critical reflection on the post-dictatorship period in Chile.