Biography
Originating in Spain, Melenas fuse jangle pop tunefulness with garage rock drive to produce an upbeat, airy atmosphere whether the instruments are guitars or keyboards. Their output amounts to witty, spirited pop laced with abundant reverb. The quartet’s opening two albums—the self-titled debut from 2016 and Dias Raros in 2020—rely on prominent guitars and a gentle punk sensibility, whereas Ahora, released in 2023, substitutes keyboards and machines for strings and lands stylistically between OMD and Stereolab.
Based in Pamplona in Northern Spain, the group comprises Oihana Herrera on guitar and vocals, María Zubiaur on keyboards, Leire Zabala on bass and vocals, and Laura Torre on drums. Avid music followers, the four first encountered one another as regular patrons of the Nebula Bar, a venue favored by musicians. Fittingly, the same club hosted their inaugural show in October 2016, staged to mark Zubiaur’s birthday. As they refined their approach and accumulated stage time, performances across Spain became routine, eventually leading to headline club dates and appearances at festivals such as Eurosonic and Primavera Sound.
An album soon followed, with Melenas issued in 2017 by the local labels El Nebula, Elsa, and Snap! Clap!. Continued gigging included a 2018 visit to SXSW, after which the single “Ya No Me Importa Si Tu Me Quieres” appeared in 2019. Trouble in Mind Records then licensed the band’s second album, Dias Raros, released in 2020; the record introduced added compositional nuance and rhythmic impact, recalling the garage rock sound that Flying Nun never captured. Issued just as the global COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the album precluded touring, prompting the members instead to explore vintage synthesizers, Motorik rhythms, and synth-pop sheen. Their first release in this vein was the 2021 single “Osa Polar,” a cover of Grauzone’s 1981 track “Eisbaer.”
Trouble in Mind brought out the third album, Ahora, in late 2023; it overlays the keyboard-centered aesthetic with occasional guitar strums and rich vocal harmonies.
Based in Pamplona in Northern Spain, the group comprises Oihana Herrera on guitar and vocals, María Zubiaur on keyboards, Leire Zabala on bass and vocals, and Laura Torre on drums. Avid music followers, the four first encountered one another as regular patrons of the Nebula Bar, a venue favored by musicians. Fittingly, the same club hosted their inaugural show in October 2016, staged to mark Zubiaur’s birthday. As they refined their approach and accumulated stage time, performances across Spain became routine, eventually leading to headline club dates and appearances at festivals such as Eurosonic and Primavera Sound.
An album soon followed, with Melenas issued in 2017 by the local labels El Nebula, Elsa, and Snap! Clap!. Continued gigging included a 2018 visit to SXSW, after which the single “Ya No Me Importa Si Tu Me Quieres” appeared in 2019. Trouble in Mind Records then licensed the band’s second album, Dias Raros, released in 2020; the record introduced added compositional nuance and rhythmic impact, recalling the garage rock sound that Flying Nun never captured. Issued just as the global COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the album precluded touring, prompting the members instead to explore vintage synthesizers, Motorik rhythms, and synth-pop sheen. Their first release in this vein was the 2021 single “Osa Polar,” a cover of Grauzone’s 1981 track “Eisbaer.”
Trouble in Mind brought out the third album, Ahora, in late 2023; it overlays the keyboard-centered aesthetic with occasional guitar strums and rich vocal harmonies.
Albums
Singles
