Anger Is No Energy for These Punks

Got a sweet tooth?

“We are just like a pastilla, you know, like Pez,” said Victor Monroy, a.k.a. Chicles, front man of L.A. rock en espanol band Pastilla.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter likens his music to candy because his band’s pop-flavored punk goes down so easily. “Our music is mostly about having fun,” Chicles said just before jumping into the pool at his manager’s Long Beach home on a recent warm afternoon.

“That doesn’t mean we are superficial,” added guitarist Adrian Monroy, 23, who soon joins his younger brother and their bandmates--bassist Eriberto Gonzalez, 23, and drummer Eric Rubalcava, 20--in the water. The quartet will dry off to headline a triple bill Sunday at Club 369 in Fullerton.

This foursome, products of American pop culture who share a Mexican sensibility, is seemingly without a care. Earlier this year, U.S. giants EMI/Capitol, DGC, Reprise and BMG engaged in a bidding war over the Pomona-based quartet. BMG prevailed, picking up the band last month for distribution in the United States and Mexico, a first for a Southern California Spanish-language rock group. Soon, the name Pastilla will register in the alternative pop world, the band members said.

“Put us in a studio with more toys and we’ll make you better music than what you’re getting from Blur right now,” said an immodest Adrian, who hooks up with Chicles for guitar weavings a la Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth.

Pastilla manager Emilio Morales said he expects BMG to re-release the band’s 1996 self-titled CD by this fall. The debut, originally on San Francisco independent Aztlan Records, has sold 6,500 copies in Southern California since November, largely on the strength of the single “Amor Metal” (Metal Love). The band will support the BMG push with a three-month tour in Mexico and with two videos targeted for MTV, Morales said.

Pastilla’s pop-rock emphasizes grabbing melody. Chicles, the group’s main songwriter, favors accessible, everyman lyrics that tweak the heart.

“We have our opinions about politics, but we don’t want to shove it down anyone’s throat,” Chicles said. “If fans see us a representatives of the Latino community, that’s fine,” added Adrian. “We are proud of our Mexican heritage, but we don’t wear it on our sleeves, and we don’t exploit it.”

The Monroys have been an act for more than five years. They played underground gigs--especially at L.A.’s rock en espanol’s crib, the now-defunct Hong Kong Low--as Juana la Loca (after pre-Renaissance Spanish Queen Jane the Crazy). The group dropped that name after signing with Aztlan because the label had an Argentine band with the name.

At recent gigs, Pastilla has tried new material with a generous helping of distortion. Singing in English is not far away.

“English? Why not?” said Adrian. “We’ll play in Chinese if you want. We are commercial band, after all.”

* Pastilla performs Sunday at Club 369, 1641 Placentia Ave., Fullerton. 10 p.m. $7. 572-1816.