Els Amics De Les Arts

Drawing influence from French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, Els Amics de les Arts merged Spanish folk, avant-garde pop, and electronica while delivering pun-filled lyrics laced with ironic humor, earning them recognition as one of the Catalan music scene’s most respected acts. The Barcelona-based quartet, whose lineup includes lead vocalist Eduard Costa, guitarist Joan Enric Barceló, bassist Ferran Piqué, and pianist Dani Alegret, came together in 2005 and issued its first album, Catalonautes, that same year, building a grassroots following through repeated performances at Catalan festivals. Roulotte Polar appeared in 2007 and Castafiore Cabaret arrived the next year, yet the band’s fourth studio release, 2009’s Bed & Breakfast, proved most decisive, securing both the Enderrock Critics’ Best Album prize and Radio 4’s Best Catalan Album of the Year award. Mainstream visibility peaked in 2011 when the group shared the screen with Spanish actor Quim Gutiérrez in a commercial for Estrella Damm.