This section has been hibernating for too long. Not anymore. Many
are ready to blow your mind.
Hazte Lapón. Born in Madrid en 2009, the band leaded by Manuel González Molinier and Saray Botella (that expands to a quintet-sextet live) started rolling a year later with first gigs and the recording of self-released debut EP '
Las fatigas del querer'. Single '
Romance en la oficina' and the song '
Bucles' appears in 2011, showing the initial noise sound was evolving into a much poppier sound, with another single, '
El baile de la medusa' and second EP '
Gentil colapso (broma privada)' arriving in 2012 anticipating their first album. '
Bromas privadas en lugares públicos' surfaced in late 2013, out via
Discos del rollo, making a cult band of the combo, but the best was yet to come, with the magnificent EP '
El traje del emperador' released by our friends
Discos de Kirlian a year later and, finally, with sophomore LP '
No son tu marido' via our beloved label
El Genio Equivocado. The
best national record of 2015 by far, they deliver
pluperfect indiepop (noise, traditional Spanish music, electropop, post-punk, jangle), very diverse and with, arguably, the
best lyrics out here in Spain, a mix between intimate confession, sardonic humour and witty social comment. Think Luke Haines meeting
Manos de Topo, Raymond Carver partying with
The Magnetic Fields, or Talking Heads discovering
El Niño Gusano... Thinking on changing your nationality (we all know Trump, Cameron, Rajoy, long etc. embarrasses you to death)?
Welcome to Laponia, the land of pop!
Los Bonsáis. Hailing from Asturias (Gijón and Llanes) Helena Toraño and Nel González
joined forces, at first a very casual affair, on April of 2010, recording homemade demo '
La Mecedora', in just a matter of months that circulated among friends. A year later they doubled the bet with the demos EP '
Ultramar' and single '
Es Mejor/ Un instante', recorded with our friends
Linda Guilala and impressing the wise people at
Elefant Records who quickly signed them and released the proper debut EP '
Ultramarinos' in January 2012, collecting four of their best initial tunes and following in at the start of 2013 first LP '
Martin Pescador'. A delightful punk-pop reality, the lovely duo appeared in Family and
Los Planetas' tribute records during 2014, warming-up for 2015, on which they came out wit sophomore album '
Nordeste' in February and '
¡Fanzine! EP in November, on which they cover
The Pastels,
Black Tambourine, Television Personalities and The Vaselines. Echoing the aforementioned bands as well as Marine Girls,
Talulah Gosh or Shop Assistants,
Los Bonsáis are
one of our best kept secrets... revealed. Instant, shaky, irresistible love.
Selvática. Manu y Paula (formerly of the band
Indómitos) migrated from Galizia to Río de Janeiro, Brasil, in 2012, coming out with the idea of a new
music project a couple of years later. They quickly recorded the demos of what was going to be their debut album, channelling the vibes and energy of their new home with their music indierock tastes. They returned to Spain on early 2015 to assemble a proper band (they are a cohesive quintet live) and record LP '
Un Mundo Extraño', out since November through
Discos de Kirlian and
Mama Vynila. A
stunning collection of fuzzy indiepop tunes, with post-punk, garage rock, surf and psych-pop vibes melting with vital tribal rhythms. Welcome to their rocking jungle!
Nacho Vegas. I could summarise this brief on the artist/band in just a solemn sentence: one of our most important artists of the last 20 years. But he deserves a longer account for such a strong career. Hailing from Xixón, Asturas, Vegas began playing at Eliminator Jr. a local noise band before founding the much revered post-rock combo Manta Ray, an adventure that lasted from 1994 to 1999, when he opted to began a solo career. Since then, he has released four albums and several singles, EPs and collaborative works alongside well-known musicians like Christina Rosenvinge or Bunbury, as well as lesser popular like the EP with Irene Tremblay (Aroah), or participating in soundtracks, setting music to the poems of Ramón Lluis Bande for the project Diariu, being part of Lucas 15, band that revisits the Asturian folklore. But that wasn't enough for him, so in 2010 he founded Marxophone, his own label/a musicians cooperative for self-releasing projects. Plus he also became part of Fundación Robo, collaborative platform where political activism and popular music join forces (yes, it can happen, luckily). His latest record to date 'Resituación' was released in Spring of 2014, but this January, Vegas came out with its companion, an immense EP entitled 'Canciones populistas'. Shifting gracefully between folk and rock, between humour and dark realism, between autobiography and post-modern references, always social and politically committed. One of our wittiest commentators. Our Phil Ochs. Our Ken Loach picking a guitar. Not just a celebrated songwriter or a big artist. Also a much needed one.
Invisible Harvey. Hiding behind this curious name borrowed from the classic movie starred by James Stewart and his giant bunny lies Barcelonian Dimas Rodríguez Gallego, screenwriter, film director and guitarist in La Banda Municipal del Polo Norte. But he didn't have enough, so a few years ago started a solo music project. One that, appeared from out of the blue on late December 2015 with digital single 'La Puerta Giratoria', and now has a flamboyant debut album, of the same title, thanks to our beloved El Genio Equivocado. Recorded last year, Dimas blends charming indiepop with skilled songwriting, with a heavy presence of lush and unique instrumentation, including his inseparable string duet (Joan Gerard Torredeflot "Joange" and Núria Maynou). Surreal (check his lyrics), romantic and dreamy. A haunting record honoring the tradition of El Niño Gusano. Pop in Wonderland.
VLIVM. Hailing from Tortosa, Tarragona, the band (that you can pronounce as Valium) is the project of two brothers, Nacho and Estebi Romero, who started playing during the summer of 2014 and put a couple of demos at their bandcamp. But at the beginning of 2015 things got more serious, with bros getting into the studio to record their debut album and, once finished, recruit friends Aleix and Blai to become a real band and be able to play gigs and properly defend the songs of 'Sailing Forever', out now via the much needed Discos de Kirlian. Between jangle-pop and dreampop, there are familiar places (the Sarah Records vibe, the lo-fi spirit, the magnetic use of the twelve string guitar) but a genuine, honest essence completely of their own. One to watch closely. 
