Pega Monstro

Sisters Júlia and Maria Reis, natives of Lisbon, Portugal, have performed as a unit since their teenage years, channeling hazy noise rock and punk into the project Pega Monstro. Júlia handles the drums while Maria takes up guitar and keyboard, and the pair deliver melodic, Portuguese-language songs saturated with reverb and crash cymbals. Their first EP, O Juno-60 Nunca Teve Fita, surfaced in early 2011; two years later their self-titled debut album appeared on the Cafetra Records imprint they run themselves, produced by B Fachada. After building a name for high-energy concerts and opening slots alongside Ariel Pink and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the duo issued their second full-length, Alfarroba (Carob), through Upset the Rhythm in summer 2015. The same label put out Casa de Cima in 2017, again with Leonardo Bindilatti in the producer’s chair. Titled for the Sintra Mountains villa that hosted the sessions, the record moved toward a more introspective tone while retaining the group’s garage-rooted character.