PIPIOLAS: New Elefant Band

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.

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.