Melenas

About

" A hypnotic motorik-driven all-girl band from Pamplona "

Tell me which songs you cover, and I’ll tell you who you are. In 2021, Melenas shared a great, updated version of the classic ‘Eisbär‘, the cult post punk hit from Swiss band Grauzone. The group from Pamplona move in a similar realm, an all-girl band that plays with the repetitive rhythms of German krautrock, and doesn’t avoid pop melodies sung in Spanish, in a way quite similar to the most experimental Spanish indie of the 90s.

Formed by Oihana (guitar and voice), Leire (bass), María (keyboard) and Lauri (drums), the group emerged around the Nébula bar, a place of rock resistance in Navarre that holds together the Pamplona scene, home of groups such as Exnovios and Kokoshca. Since they debuted with their self-titled album ‘Melenas’ in 2017, they have been evolving towards a more experimental sound, as shown in ‘Osa polar‘ – the Grauzone’s version – and the newest songs that announce the arrival of their third album in 2023: ‘Bang‘, ‘Dos pasajeros‘ and ‘K2‘, all getting closer to NEU!’s motorik and Kraftwerk’s synthesizers than to the garage-shoegaze style of their beginnings.

Along the way, Melenas have toured internationally and brought their music to festivals such as Primavera Sound, SXSW, Eurosonic and even the New York Fashion Week (where they performed as part of Ulla Johnson’s show). In addition, in 2021 they won the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards, an honor previously received by renowned artists such as Dua Lipa, Rosalía, Hinds, Fontaines D.C. and Boy Pablo. Being named amongst such renowned artists shows us how high this amazing quartet from Pamplona are aiming.

To discover more about Melenas, who are receiving Europavox’s Spotlight Prize, watch this interview :