Cariño

Cariño sounds like the exact moment a summer crush turns into a full-blown obsession. Their music is built on a foundation of 'tontipop' - a specific Spanish lineage of naive, ultra-catchy indie pop - but they inject it with a modern, slightly cynical edge. You will hear bright, jangling guitars layered over driving drum machine beats, all topped with vocal harmonies that sound like they were recorded by three people who share every secret.

What makes them distinctive is the 'stop-bajona' philosophy: music designed to pull you out of a slump. They manage to sing about heartbreak, ghosting, and modern loneliness without ever losing their infectious, high-energy momentum. It is the sound of the Lavapiés neighborhood in Madrid: urban, youthful, and unapologetically DIY, blending the sweetness of 60s girl groups with the grit of 90s riot grrrl.

Start with their self-titled 2022 album to hear their sound at its most polished and realized. If you want to understand their roots, 'Movidas' captures the raw, basement-show energy that first made them a sensation in the Spanish underground scene.