Melenas - Colored Vinyl

Description

The first album by the Pamplona, Spain-based Melenas, released in 2017, came out of nowhere. It was a real breath of fresh air upon its release in Spain. The two pressings sold out completely, and only a few copies made it beyond the national borders. After releasing the band’s second effort, Dias Raros, in 2020, Trouble In Mind is reissuing the self-titled debut album for a new international audience. Opening with the buzzing bassline of “Cartel de neón,” Melenas’ first album goes straight for the pleasure centers of indie rock; the guitars clash, the synths hum, and the drums pound, hitting the listener like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. The all-female quartet has a gift for creating catchy melodies that oscillate between joyful ecstasy and poignant melancholy without ever sounding mechanical or clichéd, whether in an infectious chorus or a hummable melody like on the melancholic “Gira” or the nostalgic “Una tras otra.” Tracks like “Tú me haces lo mismo” or the fiery “Sales” inject a dose of adrenaline into their narcotic pop, the garage organ soaking the song in sound, while others, like “¿Dónde estás?” on the second side, bounce along like a lost Go-Betweens track. Closing things out, “Una voz” arrives like a triumphant end credits sequence from a lost independent film, showcasing the band’s transcendent vocal harmonies. Melenas’ first album shows a band fully formed from the very first note; united in its vision and execution. Melenas is the moving and essential beginning of a band that is only just starting out and that we will be hearing much more from.