Las Ruinas

For anyone wanting to know what Barcelona, this country, this planet was like at a certain time, the discs of Las Ruinas, the heavy pop trio consisting of the Peruvian Eduardo Chirinos, the Venezuelan Jaime Bertrán and the Barcelona man Toni López would be a good start. Their lyrics about love, urban planning, dystopian science fiction, music, poverty and (emotional and financial) ruin are the equivalent of the Barcelona of the previous 2,000 chroniclers, like Gato Pérez for example. Their songs speak of Pakistanis selling luminous rings and cervesa-beer, walks around the Olympic Port, Swedish girl students and, above all, an uncertain future and high-strung nerves, a lot of high-strung nerves. In brief they are satirical, popular, local and fresh: Ray Davies (The Kinks) mistakenly wandering into La Sagrada Família in the company of Los Saicos.

Quite a long time ago Las Ruinas set themselves the task of recording one album per year. And they are still at it. They have played at Primavera Sound, Let’s Festival and Palmfest and keep touring the country. Their seventh album is 100% Maximum Heavy Pop. And, live, their shows are among the most politicised, diverting and euphoric of these times.

Bio written by Miqui Otero, co-director of CCCB's Primera Persona festival.