Jangle-pop, jangle-pop, jangle-pop all over! Our national discoveries section returns to action with three wonderful bands who have mastered the art of delivering eternal guitar-driven pop gems.You're going to love them!
Juvenilia. Can't believe I didn't write about one of my biggest crushes of past year... but better late than ever! A quintet formed in Madrid around 2014 by members of bands like Disciplina Atlántico, Image Makers and Juanita y los Feos, who started to make (jangly, celestial) noise to our ears in June of 2015 with debut 7" single 'Solaris/ Fiesta Secreta', out via High Five Discos. But the breakthrough release came in September of 2016 with first, self-titled LP, published by our dear Pretty Olivia Records. Bringing my beloved Antipodes to Spain (beat that band name!), here you'll find ten glistening, shimmering, sparkling indiepop gems, full of haunting melodies, chiming guitar lines and hummable choruses. A real pop treasure.
Dois. Going north to meet this trio from Vigo (Galizia is a neverending music goldmine, must be the water), who surfaced in 2014 with first demos and a self-titled EP that came out that December. After touring the country polishing their sound, they headed to the studio during early 2016 in order to create their debut album, 'Está bien', out since this January thanks a co-release by Orphan Recs and our friends Discos de Kirlian. Refreshing lo-fi jangle-pop with a quirky, slightly psychedelic and volatile personality. Endurable melodies and inviting surprises for one of the most exciting records of this beginning of 2017. Keep an eye on Dois.
Río Arga. And we end in Pamplona with this quartet composed by members of local bands like Exnovios, Almanaque Zaragozano, Los Jambos, Panty Pantera. Not much info available aside of that from them, so let's their only release to date, a self-titled EP available at 'pay-what-you-want' at their bandcamp since past October do all the talking. Dreamy, emotional, evocative, hazy, intimate, gentle, melancholic,jangly and uniquely uplifting indiepop. Six tunes that find you with your guard low, grabbing you by surprise, to embrace and never let you go. "The river to the ocean goes / A fortune for the undertow..." Can't wait for their next release...
Pegasvs. One of the best records I have heard this year so far comes from Barcelona. Their authors are Sergio Pérez and Luciana della Villa, veterans of the Spanish alternative/underground, that finally have the attention of the (indie) media as a duo with this homonym debut. And with a reason. Motorik rhythms and hyperbolic, cascading melodies, between Neu! and Stereolab, this is addictive krautrock with pop ambitions, propelling the listener to a unique place. A spot among the national best albums at the end of 2012 lists is granted. Pegasvs by Pegasvs Jane Joyd. I warned you. Hailing from A Coruña, Elba Fernández, aka Ms. Jane Joyd, was fated for great things. She only needed an EP on 2010 to become a must-see promise. Then she won the Proyecto Demo 2011, having the chance of showing her talents at festivals like Benicàssim (where I discovered her). Now she presents "Shy Little Jane Presents: The Dramatic Tale of Her Animals", second EP and the debut at Origami Records. Long title for an immense, hazy, rich and rewarding work. Folk, jazz, a haunting voice... and the confirmation that here's a talent that MUST be followed.
Juanita y Los Feos. Shall we (indie) dance? I have found the perfect soundtrack for it. A killing cocktail of punk-pop, new wave, garage, synths, bursts of guitars, surreal lyrics and an immediate feeling of fun. All comprised in 12 doses of 2:30 minutes' tunes, the perfect recipe to keep you moving. Hailing from Madrid, and with a quite a long history behind their backs, the band formed in 2004, published several EPs until "Juanita y Los Feos", their first LP in 2007. More EPs followed before "Pesadilla adulta", at the end of 2011. A second album that you should listen... and dance!
Juvenilia. Can't believe I didn't write about one of my biggest crushes of past year... but better late than ever! A quintet formed in Madrid around 2014 by members of bands like Disciplina Atlántico, Image Makers and Juanita y los Feos, who started to make (jangly, celestial) noise to our ears in June of 2015 with debut 7" single 'Solaris/ Fiesta Secreta', out via High Five Discos. But the breakthrough release came in September of 2016 with first, self-titled LP, published by our dear Pretty Olivia Records. Bringing my beloved Antipodes to Spain (beat that band name!), here you'll find ten glistening, shimmering, sparkling indiepop gems, full of haunting melodies, chiming guitar lines and hummable choruses. A real pop treasure.
Río Arga. And we end in Pamplona with this quartet composed by members of local bands like Exnovios, Almanaque Zaragozano, Los Jambos, Panty Pantera. Not much info available aside of that from them, so let's their only release to date, a self-titled EP available at 'pay-what-you-want' at their bandcamp since past October do all the talking. Dreamy, emotional, evocative, hazy, intimate, gentle, melancholic, jangly and uniquely uplifting indiepop. Six tunes that find you with your guard low, grabbing you by surprise, to embrace and never let you go. "The river to the ocean goes / A fortune for the undertow..." Can't wait for their next release... 
