One of my goals with this playlist is to introduce a variety of Spanish indie pop to an audience unfamiliar with the quality rhythms, melodies, and fun, tongue-in-cheek spirit that inhabits this particular niche. While most tracks come from Madrid-based record label Elefant, I’ve thrown in a few songs from the 80’s, during the up beat, celebratory, post-Franco era known as la movida. But what connect the songs aside from origin and genre are themes of liberation, escapism, and a bit of absurdity, all of which were prevalent in Spanish pop culture during the nation’s democratic re-birth. Thus, my second goal is to reveal an underlying tradition of producing enjoyable yet thoughtful Spanish-language pop songs.

12 tracks