Enjambre is one of the most prolific bands of this new musica indie movement. They pump out solid albums year after year, and tour relentlessly around Mexico & the U.S., to frantic audiences and die-hard fans. But it wasn’t always as easy as they make it look.
Formed in the early aughts in Orange County, CA, the band kicked around the Los Angeles music scene for a few years. Like many star-eyed local bands, they had their share of opening slots but struggled to find a core audience. Pretty soon, their album “Consuelo en Domingo”, was a distant memory. They were headed for the ‘great music, but not enough of a strong following to remain a band’ curse.
Fast-forward to 2009 when all of a sudden a band also called Enjambre played to sold out crowds and headlining slots at music festivals all over Mexico. I remember thinking, “how funny, there used to be a band by that same name in the OC that faded away.” I was intrigued and searched for their music to see what the deal was.
As it turned out they were the SAME band! A couple years after their debut and being frustrated by the LA music scene, bothers Julian and Luis, self-imposed an exile trip to their natal land of Zacatecas in search of musical inspiration.
What they found was a nod to the old romantic styling of José José with a twist of indie rock. They didn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but definitely latched onto a sound that was lacking in the realm of new indie music in Spanish.
Their melodies are infectious and the vocal harmonies keep their fan base fervent. Their 2017 release, “Imperfecto Extraño,” harkens back to some of those metal guitar riff sounds from their first album, but slots in perfectly with their extensive catalogue of great albums.
Enjambre show no sign of slowing down and that is a great thing for the musica indie scene.
Listen to their latest single, Detéstame.