Pereza

In the late 1990s, bass player Leiva joined forces with guitarist Rubén Pozo to launch the Madrid rock outfit Pereza, whose name means Laziness. Both musicians already possessed considerable experience, Rubén having previously belonged to Buenos Noches Rose and Leiva to Malahierba. The band wasted little time making its mark; its first recordings, Patitos Feos and Calaveras y Diablitos, quickly cultivated a loyal grassroots following for the fresh rock innovators. That grassroots momentum soon drew major-label interest, resulting in a self-titled RCA album in 2001. The major-label debut was followed by a punishing tour schedule that took the group to more than one hundred Spanish venues inside a single year. Algo Para Cantar arrived midway through 2002, produced by Fernando Montesinos. Their third album, Animales, recorded during the winter of 2004 in Madrid under the guidance of veteran producer Nigel Walter—whose résumé includes Hombres G, El Canto del Loco, and La Oreja de Van Gogh—generated widespread public interest upon its 2005 release. Close on its heels came Los Amigos de los Animales, a project that incorporated collaborations with fellow rock en español trailblazers Deluxe, Los Delinquentes, Ivan Ferreiro, and Pastora, among others.