Dover

Formed in Spain during 1992, the indie rock outfit Dover issued their first recording, Sister, three years afterward. They soon joined the roster of the independent imprint Subterfuge Records, contributing the track “Loli Jackson” to the compilation Stereoparty 2 and unveiling the full-length Devil Came to Me on April 27, 1997—an album steeped in tales of angels, demons, and scriptural allusions. That same year the post-grunge quartet received an Ondas award as Revelation of the Year. After establishing their own imprint, Loli Jackson Records, the group tracked Late at Night with American producer Barrett Jones; the set surfaced through a partnership with Chrysalis on June 28, 1999. Momentum carried into the next decade as Dover captured the MTV Europe prize for best Spanish band, while their fourth album, I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels, arrived in 2001. Following the demise of Loli Jackson Records they secured a contract with EMI and delivered The Flame in 2003. A personnel shift occurred in 2005 when bassist Álvaro Díez departed and former Sperm guitarist Samuel Titos stepped in. Five years later the band embraced a markedly different approach centered on pop structures and electronic textures. Their initial foray into this refreshed direction, Follow the City Lights, appeared in 2006 and resonated with longtime listeners as well as newcomers. The single “Let Me Out” ascended to the top of the Spanish charts, and the follow-up “Do Ya” was featured in the soccer video-game series FIFA 08. In 2007 the greatest-hits collection 2 was issued, prompting extensive touring alongside Spanish synth-pop ensemble La Oreja de Van Gough. Another label transition brought them to Sony BMG in 2009, after which their seventh studio album, I Ka Kené, emerged the following year.