The first two albums by Spanish quartet Melenas exude pure joy. On 2017’s Melenas and 2020’s Días Raros, ebullient hooks and bright rhythms abound in infectiously catchy tunes. Their brand of energetic indie pop topped by crafty vocal harmonies is wide enough to encompass moments of reflection and even some darkness. But it’s hard to come away from either album without feeling uplifted.
It would be wrong to say that Melenas’ new album, Ahora, isn’t also uplifting. The first single from the record, “Bang,” is as bouncy as it gets, sparked by a motorik beat, sprightly keyboards, and criss-crossing voices; the accompanying video shows the four band members literally skipping along to the tune. But Ahora is more nuanced and more textured. Melenas have added complexity to their music without abandoning their hooks or their vibrant spirit. In essence, they’re doing what they’ve always done, but on a deeper level than before.
Part of that new depth comes down to arrangements and production. Synthesizers are more prominent on Ahora, sometimes layered with guitars and drums, sometimes taking the lead. On the wistful “Two Passengers,” a rising keyboard provides both backbone and pace until the band’s unison vocals melt into the glistening notes. Those blended voices are another reason why Ahora is denser than previous Melenas efforts. Nearly every track includes more than one vocalist, and often all four members sing. These harmonies are so frequent that the music feels collective and multi-dimensional, folding in an abundance of angles and numerous shades.
Ahora’s lyrical themes are similarly deep. The title means “now,” and most songs deal with the idea of time—particularly appreciating the present and processing the past. The band confronts the subject head on: On the second track, the ear-worming “K2,” they admit, “Cuando miro atrás no sé medir la distancia/El tiempo que pasó ¿a quién se lo dí?” (“When I look back I can’t measure the distance/The time that passed, who did I give it to?”). In “Mal,” time is a bandit in the form of wasted effort: “Cuánta vida/Se quedó atrás/Cuántos planes/Por trabajar” (“How much life/Was left behind/How many plans/Because of work”).
As direct as their lyrics can be, Melenas can be subtle, too. On Ahora’s catchiest tune, the stair-stepping “1986,” the dangerous attraction of a flame becomes a metaphor for fascination and repulsion. The wistful “Flor de la frontera” beholds the miraculous way a plant dies and re-emerges every year, while the elegiac “Promesas” measures time by how often plans get pushed down the road.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
