Detergente Líquido "Si En Verano Estamos Solos" Special: The Review (of sorts)

Nacho Vegas. Lolo from Hazte Lapón (a valid option, by the way. Alberto once told me: “If Lolo wanted to, he could write like me. But I could never write like him”). Santi Diego from Capitán Sunrise and Santi Balmes from-you-know-where. They are the ones named the best lyricist amongst Spanish rock musicians. Alberto Rodway’s name also pops up in those lists regularly. This man can make a song out of whatever’s lying on the table in front of him, name-dropping both Nacho Vegas and Unai Simón in the process. He gives a song a name like “Though It Doesn’t Seem Like This, Spring Comes Even to Wastelands Full of Construction Debris”. And without a doubt, Alberto is the most open about the quirks of his creative process. He shares “behind-the-songs” stories on Facebook and lists the rules he follows when writing lyrics, and so on. For me, as a songwriter myself, it is incredibly fascinating. These are the things you won’t learn in songwriting courses.

I’m not even the most “overseas” fan of Detergente Líquido—they’ve got a bit of a fanbase in the US and Japan. If I remember this correctly, an American fan once wrote in a review of “Trambahía” with regret: “The most memorable moment in the song only appears once and doesn’t repeat”. Justine Frischmann of Elastica once said: “If you want to hear more of our choruses, turn the songs on again!” Sounds like a plan.

"Trambahía" is the song that truly stands out. I insist you should go to the bandcamp page below and read/translate its lyrics.

There are nine songs on the album. Two of them are “upbeat” guitar-driven songs (“Frasco (Envíame La Guitarra)” and “De Todo Lo Que Hicimos Mal En Los 90”). Other two are the jangle-pop in its purest (“Resumen Ejecutivo” and “Opel Corsa Negro”). A danceable synth-pop track (“El Puente Imposible”). A 'bossa nova for a marching band' (“Acordes Marabot" with a rooster’s crow right in the middle). All of these blend together perfectly thanks to the band’s sound engineer and producer, Juan Antonio Mateos (who also owns the recording studio Grabaciones Sumergidas) understands the band like no one else. And Ernie Rodríguez, Detergente Líquido’s drummer, is his right-hand man in the studio. The bassist Fran Muñoz has production experiences too. Félix García, who plays both guitar and synths, surely contributed a lot to the perfect balance of those instruments on the album. Damn, I should have asked Alberto how he and Laura choose what songs they are to sing! It’s all about the balance as well: nine songs can’t be split evenly between two people, but they tried.

And right in this moment, I’m happy. For me, this is that particular moment of happiness surrounded by a sea of uncertainty and vague daily routine.

SI EN VERANO ESTAMOS SOLOS BANDCAMP