Pipiolas

BOOKING/CONTRATACIÓN: carlota@elefant.com / 91 85942 27


Things have changed. A lot. It’s not that things are better or worse; it’s that their capacity to surprise us, the make a mark, to be magical, have mutated in an unexpected way. We used to receive demos by the thousand. Tapes, CDs and all kinds of audio formats, with concise music that aimed at making your jaw drop in just a few seconds. Now, suddenly, you find that everywhere you look. You click a link, open a social network, a reel plays and your mind is blown. And you know you want to work with these people, and you know you are looking at diamonds that are just learning how to shine. In a way, that’s what happened to us with PIPIOLAS.

Formed by Adriana Ubani Álvarez (1997, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) and Paula Reyes Morillas (1995, Alcorcón), PIPIOLAS is a duo with two radically charismatic people. But even more important is their overwhelmingly artistic spirit. They have that “certain something” that makes them stand out from the crowd. They are what makes them special.

LINE-UP IN CONCERT 2024: Paula and Adriana (vocals), Philip Sauerwald (guitar), Álvaro Ángel (drum), Marina Hurtado (bass)

           



Extended biography

They met in the RESAD (the Royal College of the Performing Arts), where they both studied acting. They took choral and lyric singing classes there. Paula had already taken her first steps as an artist, with a book called “Pequeño Soldado”, about a young, 9-year old gypsy child who lived in a small town near a Nazi-occupied city at the end of the Second World War, which turned her at 14 into a finalist in the young author award, “VI Jordi Sierra i Fabra Novel Prize for Young People 2011”. Once they finished their studies, they each went their separate ways. Until Paula had her heart broken, which was the motivation she needed to start writing songs. She thought of Adriana. She remembered that people used to say they looked alike. That their voices had similar textures. That they fit together well. And so, she proposed an adventure to her, and they dove right in. Vau Boy provides the instrumentation and the production, and gives life to some songs that they knew what they were capable of.

It all started with “Narciso”, at the beginning of 2022. You already know it’s someone making pop music, but in a way that focuses the music differently than any other musician would. It’s not an absolute; the person who is writing and singing this wants more. It’s not just music. And you know it because in barely four minutes you have gone from bedroom pop to house, then suddenly to techno-pop, and then another quick change and you’re rubbing elbows with punk-pop, after a few epic turns in the style of LA BIEN QUERIDA. It sounds amazing. And without being washed out or disjointed; without feeling like cut-paste. And the image shows two singers who don’t hide, who aren’t shy; they put everything in each shot. They know how to move in any terrain, and they know it doesn’t make sense to tip-toe around.

Soon after that came “Club de los 27”. And they go and release: “En el Club de los 27 / Ya no están todos los de siempre / Porque se ha morido la gente / Cuerpos fríos son suficientes” (In the 27 club / Not everyone is with us / Because they have died off / Cold bodies are enough). We can hear MECANO and also HOLE, SAINT ETIENNE and ALVVAYS. And they stop. And the epic-ness begins. M83. And another line for the vaults: “¿Y ahora qué hacemos con la modernez? / ¿Y ahora qué hacemos con lo que mola? / ¿Y ahora qué hacemos? ¿Qué se puede hacer? / ¿Y ahora qué vamos a hacer?” (And what do we do now with modernity? / What do we do now with what seems cool? / And what do we do now? / What can be done? / What are we going to do now?). And they frolic in chocolate. And the green screen takes them a million places. And in each one they are themselves, they are different, they are dazzling.

In March 2022, “Un poco triste :(“ was released. And we cannot wait for what’s to come. Bedroom soul-pop, melancholy, and in English. HAZEL ENGLISH, THE SCHACKS, TENNIS... Slow rhythms that contrast with the summery images. Summer memories. And almost at the end they surprise us with a few words in Spanish: “Ayer te llamé por si vas a volver / Pero tú respondiste que no” (Yesterday I called you to see if you’re coming back / But you said no). And it’s over. And you melt like ice cream in the sun.

Paula is still writing. She published another book, “Lo Que La Abuela Nos Dejó”. Adriana works in dance and theater. They are both still acting. And now they are wholeheartedly joining Elefant Records. And we know that the magic begins here. And so, do they. And they have proven it. And we know that this is just the beginning of a road that will be full of surprises. Even more than now. And that we are going to enjoy it. So much.

18/05/2022
PIPIOLAS (feat. Bego) "Domingo Raro" Digital Single

We are slowly discovering the huge surprise called PIPIOLAS that has completely dazzled us. We had already given you a glimpse with “Narciso”, “Club de los 27” and “Un poco triste :(“, songs that play with very diverse parameters and that make it more than clear that Paula and Adriana have something very special to offer us and have so much to say. And this is all confirmed with “Domingo raro”. We fall in love right from the very start: “Tengo un abrigo de piel que heredé / Un vinilo de Miguel Bosé / Y un amor caducado / Tengo hecho caldo y café / Tengo un apellido sin nombre / Yo tengo los hijos sin pasaporte / Tengo un invierno borrado / Tengo prisa por volverte a ver” (I have a hand-me-down fur coat / I have a Miguel Bosé vinyl album / And a love that has expired / I have coffee and broth ready / I have a last name without a first / I have kids without passports / I have a forgotten winter / I have to see you again soon). The delicacy and sound of FAMILY and VAINICA DOBLE, the excited imagination and fun rhythms. And then the song “Common People” explodes with euphoria while still working the same dynamic, while it draws that strange quotidian fresco, in the style inherited from Gloria Fuertes and Cecilia. An absolute anthem, marvelous, that also includes the collaboration of Bego, which is to say, Begoña Vargas, the actress known for playing Roberta in “La Otra Mirada” and Tere in “Las Leyes De La Frontera”, and who reveals herself here to be a magnificent singer. Bego is a friend of Paula and Adriana, who watched the project grow and wanted to form a little part of it.

25/05/2022
PIPIOLAS "What Dreams Are Made Of" Digital Single

PIPIOLAS keep on surprising us. After that wide, exquisite collection of references they have shown us with their first songs, everyone would have thought that Paula and Adriana would make the leap with a carefully selected cover, that would make hard-core music lovers’ most exclusive dreams come true. But they’re not doing any of that. They wanted a cover. They thought, maybe from “Lizzie McGuire”. But they didn’t know which song. And one day, Albanta San Román(actress, writer and content creator), their friend, we could even almost say the third member of PIPIOLAS, was repeatedly humming “What Dreams Are Made Of”, the song from the “Lizzie McGuire” movie. And that’s when they knew. They wanted to sing from their happy childhood, and to others who had lived through it the same way, who had gone through school to the beat of Disney and the new millennium. And they gave it a powerful disco house base, and translated the lyrics to Spanish, and sang it with all their hearts. A guilty pleasure? An incredible hit to dance to non-stop.

26/08/2022
PIPIOLAS "El verano que me debes" 10" Maxi-Single

The A-side opens with “Club de los 27”. It is a complex song, full of ornamentation, but at the same time very immediate and addictive. Like a less bizarre, more punk version of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. And it begins like this: “En el club de los 27 / Ya no están todos los de siempre / Porque se ha morido la gente / Cuerpos fríos son suficientes” (In the 27 club / Not everyone is with us / Because they have died off / Cold bodies are enough). We can hear MECANO and also HOLE, SAINT ETIENNE and ALVVAYS. And they stop. And the epic-ness begins. M83. And another line for the vaults: “¿Y ahora que hacemos con la modernez? / ¿Y ahora qué hacemos con lo que mola? / ¿Y ahora qué hacemos? ¿Qué se puede hacer? / ¿Y ahora qué vamos a hacer?” (And what do we do now with modernity? / What do we do now with what seems cool? / And what do we do now? What can be done? / What are we going to do now?). It is the anthem of a generation. Enough said. The first side of the vinyl also includes “Domingo raro”. We fall in love right from the very start: “Tengo un abrigo de piel que heredé / Un vinilo de Miguel Bosé / Y un amor caducado / Tengo hecho caldo y café / Tengo un apellido sin nombre / Yo tengo los hijos sin pasaporte / Tengo un invierno borrado / Tengo prisa por volverte a ver” (I have a hand-me-down fur coat / I have a Miguel Bosé vinyl album / And a love that has expired / I have coffee and broth ready / I have a last name without a first / I have kids without passports / I have a forgotten winter / I have to see you again soon). The delicacy and sound of FAMILY and VAINICA DOBLE, the excited imagination and fun rhythms. And like “Common People”, the song explodes with euphoria while still working the same dynamic, while it draws that strange quotidian fresco, in the style inherited from Gloria Fuertes and Cecilia. An absolute anthem, marvelous, that also includes the collaboration of Bego, which is to say, Begoña Vargas, the actress known for playing Roberta in “La Otra Mirada” and Tere in “Las Leyes De La Frontera”, and who reveals herself here to be a magnificent singer. Bego is a friend of Paula and Adriana, who watched the project grow and wanted to form a little part of it.

The B-side begins with the first song we ever heard from them, “Narciso”. That’s where they marked the parameters they were going to move within. They are giving us something more than music. And you know it because in barely four minutes you have gone from bedroom pop to house, then suddenly to techno-pop, and then another quick change and you’re rubbing elbows with punk-pop, after a few epic turns in the style of LA BIEN QUERIDA. It sounds amazing. And without being washed out or disjointed; without feeling like cut-paste. They know how to move through any territory, and they know it doesn’t pay off to do it half-assed. This release closes with “Un poco triste :(” and we are surprised all over again. Bedroom soul pop, melancholy, and in English. It has nothing to do with what we have heard up to now. HAZEL ENGLISH, THE SHACKS, TENNIS… Slow rhythms that contrast with the summery images. Summer memories. And almost at the end they surprise us with a few words in Spanish: “Ayer te llamé por si vas a volver / Pero tú respondiste que no” (Yesterday I called you to see if you’re coming back / But you said no). And it’s over. And you melt like ice cream in the sun.

The recording and production of Vau Boy deserves its own paragraph, with its rich instrumentation and exquisite arrangements, transgressing the marvelous and powerful bedroom pop that have melted our hearts with until now.

2023

17/02/2023
PIPIOLAS: "Romancero Propio" Single y Video

After surprising strangers and loved ones alike with their first release, the 10” Maxi-Single, “El verano que me debes”, PIPIOLAS, or in other words, Paula Reyes and Adriana Ubani, give us an advance from a debut LP full of surprises and expectations. Expectations because Adriana and Paula’s profiles are not the norm in the indie pop world: they are trained, dedicated artists, with backgrounds in various fields and who pour all their creativity into this joint project. And “Romancero Propio”, the advance single, makes this all very clear.

With classic evocations (the cover, a work of art from the designer Laurel Cala, is inspired by “Romancero Gitano”), they take their music to the next level, with the tension of M83, they rhythmic power of THE WEEKND or DAFT PUNK, and the lyricism of Björk, with a touch of VAINICA DOBLE in the lyrics and evocations of Jeanette that give them that exceptional aura, that sensation that they are breaking new ground that nobody has dared touch until now. Injecting readings and spoken word between a chorus that overflows with multicolor pop lets them build a fable about a fight with oneself, as they explain so perfectly: "Romancero Propio” isn’t a romance with rhyming verses, but with oneself. The story of dependence on antidepressants and anxiety meds to be able to try to have a love story of one’s own that never comes to be. When being human hurts too much and you can’t be anything else. And, that’s all there is.

For all this greatness, we have a video to match, directed by Serjiososo (who has also directed music videos for the likes of AXOLOTES MEXICANOS, COLECTIVO DA SILVA, EL BUEN HIJO, LA PALOMA and DEPRESIÓN SONORA), where we see two differentiated parts: the first full of references to cinematographic language, and the second, starting with the explosion of the song, full of dreaminess and color. It’s incredible. PIPIOLAS have already given us so much, and so much more is coming.

5/05/2023

PIPIOLAS: "San Peter" Single y Video

San Peter” is an exercise in energy and aggressiveness. Rage and spite. Sarcasm and celebration. Between punk and synth-pop. As they themselves say: “Nos habrán robado la dignidad, nos habrán robado el tiempo físico y mental, nos habrán robado hasta canciones que ya no podremos escuchar; pero, nene... Al menos devuélveme las bragas” (They may have robbed us of our dignity, they may have robbed us of mental and physical time, they may have even robbed us of songs we will never be able to listen to, but, babe… At least give me back my underwear). Literally. That is this duo’s goal, while trying to elude the police, in the music video directed by Jorge de la Cruz. A secret operation to get back what’s theirs. An explosive, epic, immediate single.

9/06/2023

PIPIOLAS: "Baby" Single

The third advance single from PIPIOLAS’ debut album. This is a song that should be played non-stop in all clubs and festivals, on all the radio stations, on every platform available... With aromas pulling from trap and reggaeton (but with sufficient skill and originality to give it just the right touch and sound suggestive and elegant), and the powerful disco of THE WEEKND and DAFT PUNK. That bass! That chorus! To play the song once is to want to play it again, and again. It is impossible to not instantly imagine yourself giving everything you’ve got on a Saturday night, to every drumbeat. The production work is, once again, by Vau Boy and the cover by Laurel Cala.

08/09/2023
PIPIOLAS "No Soy Un XoXo" Single Digital

A punk anthem which. A feminist anthem against objectification that is full of glorious lines that will we use on thousands of t-shirts, confessions that need to be shouted out, in the best riot grrrl spirit. 

20/10/2023
PIPIOLAS "Crying Mañana (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Single Digital 

Now we have a short film, “Crying Mañana”, that includes two songs from their debut album, and which serves as a soundtrack. This time we get two new songs, that give the short film the right mood and that make up this Digital Single. “Pogo En Casa” is a techno-pop hit full of unleashed eighties stylings, powerful and unrelenting. And we already told you about “No Soy Un XoXo”. And if it weren’t enough leaving us in awe with that chorus that howls “Tengo la regla” (I’ve got my period), now it’s in the short film.

08/11/2023

PIPIOLAS (feat. GINEBRAS) "Todas Las Horas" Single Digital

A collaboration with their friends GINEBRAS, who with their clean guitar strokes put “Todas Las Horas” in the Olympus of pop, dynamic and epic, full of rage and distortion.

The music video is directed by Andrea Casaseca, who has received more than 50 awards and has been included in more than 300 selections in film festivals around the world, and who was nominated for a Goya in 2015 for the best short film for “Sinceridad”. She is without a doubt one of the most interesting and most promising storytellers in recent years.

The song is refreshing, the video takes us back to summer; this is new proof of the overflowing energy that PIPIOLAS bring us, and which will soon sweep us away with “No hay un Dios”.

10/11/2023
PIPIOLAS "No Hay Un Dios" Publican su primer álbum

Their songs draw from multiple disciplines, with a special dramatic and esthetic richness, as well as emotional and spiritual. Don’t be fooled; this is also full of impertinence, partying, spite, rage, energy, joy and so much excitement. Because if there is no God, we have to have something to live for.