An indie rock band from Spain,
Melenas play clever, energetic pop music with plenty of spirit and no small amount of reverb. Their music recalls the sweetly primal sound of indie icons like
the Velvet Underground,
Yo La Tengo, and
the Go Betweens, while investing their songs with a personality that's joyous and engaging. Formed in 2016, their self-titled debut album helped make them a presence on the European underground scene, and 2020's
Dias Raros, their first American release, won them new admirers across the ocean.
Hailing from Pamplona in Northern Spain,
Melenas features Oihana Herrera on guitar and vocals, María del Amor Zubiaur on keyboards, Leire Zabala on bass and vocals, and Laura Torre on drums. The four were serious music fans who met when they were regular patrons at the Nebula Bar, a venue for indie musicians in their town. Fittingly, it's also where they played their first gig, in October 2016, to celebrate Maria's birthday. Though their first show was musically shaky, they enjoyed it enough to keep going, and as they became more accomplished, they were soon playing regularly in Spain, headlining clubs and appearing at music festivals such as Eurosonic and Primavera Sound. Word spread about
Melenas, and in November 2017, they brought out their first album, titled Melenas. It was well-received in Europe, and more live work followed as their schedules permitted (all four still had their day jobs at the time). A single, titled "Ya No Me Importa Si Tu Me Quieres" ("I Don't Care if You Love Me Anymore"), appeared in March 2019, and word of the band was beginning to spread to the United States after they played a showcase at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. The adventurous indie pop label Trouble in Mind, based in Chicago, struck a deal with
Melenas, and 2020's
Dias Raros became their first American release. ~ Mark Deming