The debut from Spanish band Melenas, Dias Raros, is out on Trouble in Mind Records on Friday. It is likely to earn comparisons to Stereolab, or perhaps label-mates En Attendant Ana, but there's a lot here that's distinctive. And for all the pieces of this which feel familiar, there remains something fresh about the way this group puts them together.
Opener "Primer Tiempo" spins along on the sort of energy that propelled a bunch of early Stereolab singles, while the more original "No Puedo Pensar" sees Melenas work up a rough racket that echoes C86 stuff without the jangle. "3 Segundos" also has a similar rough charm, as does "Ya No Es Verano", another winner here. These cuts are relatively simple but they pop with a real DIY fire.
The band lay down a solid garage rock vibe under the numbers on this album, and the melodies are light and they juxtapose nicely with the simple verve of the performances. At their best, Melenas manage to make the compositions on Dias Raros seem fresh even if so many pieces of the tunes here are ones we can pick out from any number of releases in the past. Melenas have been listening to the right records, obviously, and the resulting release is one which is easy to enjoy.
Dias Raros is out on Friday via Trouble in Mind Records.
More details on Melenas via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Lucia Salas]