Shinova has been on stage for fifteen years. The group of Gabriel de la Rosa, Erlantz Prieto, Dani, Ander and Josh Frou has hundreds of concerts under its belt. His name has appeared as a headliner at some of the most important festivals in our country: from Sonorama to Mad Cool, passing through BBK. And their pop rock has been going strong since the early 2010s.
Now, after landing in Spain (they have been to Argentina and Uruguay on tour), they are promoting their new album, The present, which arrives next March on all platforms. An album that they describe “as the best of their career, although it sounds cliché” and where they once again bet on that rock band sound that we like so much.
To tell us some details about this work and reflect on the Spanish festival scene, Gabriel de la Rosa (vocals) and Erlantz Prieto (guitarist) sat down to chat with WECB.
How are you guys?
Gabriel de la Rosa (GR): Very good, we just landed from Argentina. It has gone very well. In Montevideo the room was filled. We were at Cosquin Rock for the first time, which is an impressive festival. I recommend it to you. It’s tremendous. It was very nice to be part of this.
Is the public in Argentina very different from that in Spain?
GR: Yes. I was thinking about it and objectively yes. The truth is that we are lucky to have a very passionate and respectful public, but in Argentina that passion goes a little further. I think everyone lives it that way and it’s nice to be infected by that strength and that energy. What is achieved between the public and the band is incredible. Everything is lived in an intense way.
In March you release your new album, El presente, are the nerves the same as when you started?
Erlantz Prieto (EP): I think the nerves have always been there. In the end it is something new that, although it is not the first album we released, it is something new that is seeing the light. It is the effort of several years that is reflected in something tangible. You are stripping yourself naked to the public to see how they receive it.
GR: There is also something that, no matter how many albums you make, when you face a new stage like this, it is starting from scratch. When you face this blank page it is relearning and living first times. That’s wonderful.
Three years have passed since the release of your previous album. You’ve been touring non-stop, how have you found moments to compose and get into the studio?
EP: The truth is that both things have overlapped. I remember that last year it was playing in Murcia, then recording keyboards and drums, then going to a concert in Alicante. It was a bit crazy.
GR: It has been very intense. We have worked with Manuel Colmenero in the production, which is the second time we have done it, and we have pushed ourselves more than ever. It has been a great effort. It is true that May and June of last year were very intense months, but the desire and motivation were stronger. It’s what he played.
The passage of time is not only in the album title, ‘Presente’, but also in the lyrics of the songs. Is it something that obsesses you?
EP: I think it’s a recurring theme in our songs. Maybe because it shows how we are. This album was not going to be different. I think it is important to be aware of where we are and where we are coming from.
GR: To go into context a little, I have to tell you that I was born old. When I was a teenager, nostalgia was already present. I had that very emo point. It is connected with that sadness and darkness that comes from the past. I always wrote from there, as the years went by, I focused less on that and as a lyricist I am more present at this moment. I need to be here and look forward. If I look to the past it is to see what I can collect artistically. But not to look at it on a personal level.
When I was a teenager, nostalgia was already present. I had that very emo point.
— Gabriel de la Rosa
It’s 10 years since Ana and the Reckless Artist, are you going to celebrate it in some way?
EP: I think the best way to celebrate is by releasing something new. I think ‘El Presente’ is the best album that captures what we are at this precise moment. We don’t rule out doing something special at some point.
GR: We can release a special edition for 200 euros (laughs). It doesn’t look good.
In the end you have been at festivals for more than a decade, have you seen much change in the genres that appear on the posters?
GR: Yes, I think the posters are becoming more and more like the playlists we all have. We can have 200 artists in our playlists, each from a different genre, and listen to them with the same passion. You have everything from Marea to Bad Bunny. I think festival posters look like that. Because it’s what people demand. Labels in music are becoming a bit outdated.
How do you see the pop rock groups that are emerging like Arde Bogotá?
GR: It is a wonder. There are many bands that are beginning to stand out and that makes young boys and girls pick up a guitar and get together to make a band. And in times where it is more profitable to be a soloist. But there is a resurgence of very young people who make bands and want to play in venues. And this is partly thanks to the bands that are coming to make rock.
Has the indie concept been lost now that a little bit of everything sounds on playlists?
EP: Yes, I think the indie label made more sense at a time when music platforms were not so integrated. In the late nineties, now I don’t know. I think the label has been misused to encompass groups that were more outside of mainstream pop. In the end, since everything is different, someone is always going to come out.
The present comes out March 1st on all platforms