Vacaciones

Vacaciones drew their fizzy, upbeat tone equally from bubblegum-pop outfits such as the Archies and the Banana Splits and from foundational indie-pop acts including Talulah Gosh, Dolly Mixture, and Heavenly. That hybrid placed the quartet comfortably on the Elefant Records roster in the late 1990s, alongside sympathetic Spanish outfits Los Fresones Rebeldes, Juniper Moon, and La Casa Azul. In spring 1998 Ruth on vocals, Angel on bass, Rafa Skam on guitar, and Jose Alberto on drums formed the band. Shortly after their debut concert—where they performed the future signature track “Poppy Girl” following a Los Fresones set—vocalist Encarna joined. Her tenure ended amicably once the group’s first Elefant single, “Dani,” appeared in 1999. Keyboardist-vocalist Ana took her place, and the revised lineup closed the year touring with the Frank and Walters and Marine Research. Two further 2000 releases followed: the single “Un Ano De…” and the 7-inch “Espero una Respuesta.” After those records Angel departed; Carlos assumed bass duties. The band then spent 2001 shaping material for their first album, Sonreir, issued by Elefant in 2002. A track from the LP, “No Me Digas Que Me Quieres,” surfaced as a single the next year and received a video cameo from Amelia Fletcher. Vacaciones entered hiatus later in 2003.