La Monja Enana

La Monja Enana crafts sleek indie pop laced with shimmering synth textures that evoke the 1980s and early 1990s, channeling the spirit of new wave acts like Altered Images alongside indie-pop touchstones such as Stereolab and Saint Etienne. The group first came together in Spain during 1997 when Ana, Juan, and Julia united to form the band; Julia departed soon after completion of their initial demo. That recording quickly entered frequent rotation on Spain’s Radio 3, prompting Elefant Records to sign the remaining duo. Listeners of the station’s Diario Pop program later voted the demo the strongest of 1999. The pair issued their debut single, “Pideme un Deseo,” that same summer, and the track earned Melody Maker’s single-of-the-week designation in January 2000. Momentum continued into the following year as selections from the single reached John Peel’s broadcast, appeared on various compilations including one from March Records, and the duo performed multiple concerts across Russia. In spring 2002 Ana wed Felipe, previously a member of Los Fresones Rebeldes, and the couple launched their new project Cola Jet Set the following day. La Monja Enana delivered their second single, “Un Cadaver Que Abre un Ojo,” on Elefant that autumn, after which the duo would issue no further original material for an extended period. During the ensuing six years they staged only occasional live appearances and, in 2005, released the odds-and-ends collection Un Secret Terrible via France’s La Bulle Sonore label while Ana concentrated on Cola Jet Set’s early recordings. The band’s first proper full-length, Humo y Espejos, finally arrived in spring 2008.