Todo bajo el sol

The new album by Rosalía has drawn praise from every corner of the globe throughout 2025, being hailed as the most important Spanish record of the new millennium by English-language outlets that, before now, had never shown much interest in Spain. This selection aims to sketch out a possible panorama, in strict chronological order, of the music that has mattered to the country in question from 2001 to today: fifteen albums ranging from alternative rock to mainstream pop, from flamenco guitars to electronic rhythms, without forgetting minority yet culturally significant languages such as Catalan, Basque and Galician.

In the “discography” section you'll find a Spotify playlist featuring one track from each album covered in the article.

Estrella Morente – Mi cante y un poema (2001)

Enrique Morente is one of the most important figures in the history of flamenco, and as often happens in a genre that has come down to us through dynasties of players, singers and dancers who pass their knowledge from one generation to the next, he too raised children to whom he handed down his passion. Estrella is the eldest of his three children, all accomplished singers, and this debut album of hers burst onto the scene to considerable acclaim: the tracklist includes twelve flamenco standards, plus one song written by Estrella (“Morgue”) and one by Enrique (“A pastora”), who oversees the entire project as producer. The record boasts a rigorous approach to the genre, with arrangements that steer clear of any contamination from radio-friendly pop at a time when such crossover had already become widespread, yet somehow its tangle of guitar virtuosity, intricate rhythmic patterns and intense vocal melismas manages to win over listeners, selling more than 100,000 copies.

Antònia Font – Alegria (2002)

Starting in the early 2000s, the Catalan scene developed a rich school of songwriters and bands devoted to a delicate, intimate indie pop influenced by contemporary folk and chamber-style arrangements. It can in some ways be considered a spiritual heir to the nova cançó (new song), the movement whose poetic approach had defined the final years of the Francoist dictatorship. Led by guitarist and songwriter Joan Miquel Oliver, Antònia Font were the pioneers of this new Catalan-style chamber pop, and every subsequent act on the scene (Mishima, Manel, Amics de les Arts, Maria Rodés and so on) owes them something, if not everything. “Alegria” is their third album, the one where their formula reaches full maturity and which, thanks to the title track, brought them mainstream popularity. The refined instrumentation – complete with jazz touches and exotic flourishes – and Pau Debon's whispery vocals color a high point that remains unmatched in the field.

Ojos de Brujo – Barí (2002)

Formed in Barcelona in the late 1990s, Ojos de Brujo were a collective who operated within alternative circuits for at least the first ten years of their career, during which they made a fundamental contribution to pushing the boundaries of flamenco. They gained considerable attention thanks to this second album, in which Marina “la Canillas” Abad's vocals range freely from gypsy melisma to rapid-fire rap, Juan Luis Leprevost's bass lines veer into jazz fusion, Ramón Giménez's flamenco guitar proves equally at home in the tradition of its own genre and in funk, Dj Panko's scratching opens the door to hip-hop, and the three percussionists color the rhythms with Afro-Cuban shadings. The interplay of instrumental runs, stops, restarts and skewed passages veers more than once close to prog, echoing in particular the glorious school of Andalusian rock that defined the Spanish scene of the 1970s.

Bebo Valdés & Diego el Cigala – Lágrimas negras (2003)

In 2000, Spanish director Fernando Trueba released the documentary "Calle 54", celebrating the Latin jazz scene that orbited New York's Sony Music Studios, where musicians from across the Ibero-American world converged in the second half of the twentieth century. That's how he met the great Cuban jazz pianist Bebo Valdés. At the same time, Trueba, deeply fascinated by Roma culture, set his mind on creating a transcultural record played by Valdés and sung by the finest of flamenco's new names, Madrid-born Diego el Cigala. He brought the two together, then aged 83 and 33 respectively. Valdés's delicate touch on the keys and Diego's pained yet restrained singing move through bolero, copla, tango and even bossa nova standards, turning them all into a silky hybrid of piano jazz and flamenco. A commercial success beyond all expectations, selling 300,000 copies in Spain alone.

Standstill – Vivalaguerra (2006)

The least familiar name among those chosen for this feature, Standstill are an indie rock band formed in Barcelona in the late Nineties. Led by singer and guitarist Enric Montefusco, they spent the first stretch of their career playing a very harsh brand of post-hardcore, all screamed vocals and deafening electric guitars, sung in English. Despite the sheer commitment, it wasn't music that stood out for originality. Then, in 2004, came the turning point: the album "Standstill" toned down the sound at least in part and introduced Spanish-language lyrics. Two more years and "Vivalaguerra" completed the transformation: with the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Ricky Falkner, later one of the most sought-after producers on the local alternative scene, the arrangements grew markedly more complex, blending alternative rock, prog and post-rock, with electric guitars often flanked by dense layers of keyboards and samples. Indie magazine Mondosonoro named it Spanish album of the decade.

Extremoduro – La ley innata (2008)

Rock urbano emerged in Spain in the late Seventies as a blend of hard rock, blues and pub rock, with the occasional foray into the more muscular territory of prog. Its lyrics dealt with alienation, clashes with the authorities, life in working-class neighbourhoods and other themes that younger audiences desperately needed to hear during the transition to democracy. About a decade on, though, the movement was considered spent: it was at that point that Extremoduro emerged, led by singer and guitarist Robe Iniesta, destined to spark a revival of the genre and become its most iconic name. "La ley innata", their tenth album, is one of the masterpieces of Spanish-language rock. Despite a prog component more pronounced than ever, utterly at odds with the commercial logic of the 2000s, it reached number 1 on the charts. Iniesta died on 10 December 2025 from complications related to a pulmonary embolism, prompting nationwide mourning.

La Casa Azul – La Polinesia meridional (2011)

At the dawn of the Nineties, British twee pop spawned a curious Spanish offshoot in the city of San Sebastián (Donostia, in Basque), which in turn heavily influenced the indie pop that emerged across the rest of the country in the second half of the decade. That was when the term tontipop was coined, describing a wave of bands that mixed power pop guitars, toy keyboards, sugary orchestral flourishes and choruses inspired by the more playful side of the Sixties (French yéyé, American bubblegum pop). The genre's best-known and most creative figure is Barcelona singer Guille Milkyway, leading the project La Casa Azul since the early 2000s. "La Polinesia meridional" is his third album, the first to crack the top 20 and the one where electronics take on real weight in the arrangements rather than merely embroidering them: this lets the sound gain in immediacy and drive, resulting in one of the finest Spanish-language pop records of its era.

Vetusta Morla – La deriva (2014)

A sextet from Tres Cantos, Vetusta Morla are among the most important names in Spanish indie rock. They debuted in 2008 with "Un día en el mundo", now regarded as a classic, though it's this third album that is often favoured instead: it took them to number 1 for the first time, and above all raised the bar of musical ambition, with denser arrangements than before (fittingly, it's also the first record on which they're backed by a decent roster of session players). The guitars rest on abrasive tones without ever overdoing the volume, bolstered by the orchestral colours of the keyboards, while the drums, equally capable of pounding charges and hushed brushwork, are at times reinforced by understated electronic effects. Pucho's voice weaves through the instrumental textures with his signature style, alternating delicate atmospheres with rasps that edge close to emo, often harmonizing with the other members' backing vocals.

Berri Txarrak – Infrasoinuak (2017)

Berri Txarrak (Bad News) are the most important Basque-language rock band, and their cultural impact is hard to overstate: despite singing in a language understood by just 1.4% of the Spanish population, they've managed to place four albums in the national top 20. "Infrasoinuak" is their ninth album and the one that brought their career to a close, before singer and guitarist Gorka Urbizu decided to go solo. The tracklist ranges across alternative rock, emo and melodic hardcore punk, with ambitious, almost prog-like instrumental passages that distance the overall result from the nu metal residue of several of their past releases. Production duties went to Bill Stevenson, member of storied US counterculture outfits such as Descendents and Black Flag: it's not the first prestigious collaboration for Urbizu and co., who had previously worked alongside, among others, Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Steve Albini, Ed Rose and Ross Robinson.

Niño de Elche – Antología del cante flamenco heterodoxo (2018)

The fifth solo album by flamenco singer Niño de Elche, born and raised in the province of Alicante, is a work that redraws the genre's boundaries. Made with the support of multi-instrumentalist Raül Refree, one of Spain's most important producers, the double CD holds 27 tracks and an hour and three quarters of uncompromising music, shot through with organ drones, ambient noise, vocal collages, treated pianos and electronic filters. Every track is a reinterpretation of a traditional song or a piece from a major songwriter's repertoire, openly credited in the titles as a mark of reverence. Some of the adaptations are unexpected to say the least, such as those of Dmitri Shostakovich and Tim Buckley, both perfectly woven into the rest. The anthology was met with enthusiasm by critics, even though it was destined for a niche audience. Niño would later become known to a much wider public thanks to his collaborations with C. Tangana.

C. Tangana – El madrileño (2021)

With this album C. Tangana moves away from trap sounds to embark on a journey through the history of Spanish and Latin folklore, though the production remains resolutely urban and contemporary, thanks to the support of Catalan singer-songwriter Alizzz. The strength of the work lies in its stylistic variety and in guest appearances that are never merely decorative, but functional to the narrative: among the many, historic names of flamenco such as Kiko Veneno and the Gipsy Kings, a new prodigy of the genre like Niño de Elche, but also major names of South American singer-songwriting, such as Jorge Drexler, Andrés Calamaro and Toquinho. “Demasiadas mujeres”, “Tú me dejaste de querer”, “Ingobernable” and “Los tontos” are tracks that set new standards for flamenco pop, while the more intimate moments – above all “Nunca estoy” – reveal the artist's fragile side. Cohesive, distinctive and timeless, “El madrileño” is perhaps the most important mainstream Spanish record of this quarter century.

Zahara – Puta (2021)

Andalusian artist Zahara, born in 1983 and professionally active since 2005, is one of the most relevant figures in Spanish alternative pop. She is known for an intimate, bold songwriting style that reaches full maturity on this, her seventh album. Preceded by “Merichane”, a lucid and painful manifesto of her personal and professional experiences, the record tackles themes such as sexuality, guilt, psychological violence and the backlash of fame with disarming honesty. Equally striking is the ambitious production, helmed by multi-instrumentalist Marti Perarnau IV (a former member of Mucho), who builds dark electropop landscapes, moving from grandiose choirs (“Dolores”) to piano house and enveloping synths (“Berlin U5”), all the way to distorted sounds bordering on industrial (“Joker”). A cathartic and necessary record, a symbol of emotional resilience and female self-awareness, “Puta” debuted at number 2 on the charts, marking the singer-songwriter's commercial peak.

Baiuca – Embruxo (2021)

With this, his second album, Baiuca – real name Alejandro Guillán – grafts the musical tradition of Galicia onto a contemporary electronic framework, without forcing anything or resorting to postcard folklore. The record reinterprets popular songs and rhythms through a rounded, spacious sound close to deep house, in which layered percussion, discreet synths and archaic vocals coexist in balance. Central to the project is his collaboration with local performers, in particular the female choir Lilaina and Asturian folk singer Rodrigo Cuevas, whose voice takes centre stage on the single “Veleno”, which blends sensuality, irony and magical imagery. Guillán shows a fertile obsession with rhythm, mixing traditional metres, four-on-the-floor kicks and world music influences that never distort the source material. “Embruxo” is an evocative, coherent work, capable of making Galician heritage feel current and standing among the finest achievements of recent European folktronica.

Rojuu – Kor Kor Lake (2022)

Roc Jou Morales, aka Rojuu, was born in Barcelona in 2003. He first emerged as a teenager on YouTube reviewing music, before starting to produce his own. He already had six albums and three EPs behind him when, at just nineteen, he released “Kor Kor Lake”, his first record also distributed on CD. The work gathers and reworks every strand of his artistic growth, fusing indie rock, urban sound and electronic dance music into an ethereal, introspective world indebted equally to emo and Japanese animation. Produced by Venezuelan producer Carzé (a longtime friend) and by Harto Rodríguez (who has also worked with C. Tangana), it boasts gems like “Nezuko” and “Cuanto tiempo nos queda”, suspended between arpeggiated guitars, dreamy keyboards and whispered vocals. In its second half the tracklist opens up to cloud rap, digicore and drum and bass, in a whirlwind of eclecticism. The album reached number 22 on the charts, a result unfortunately not matched by his subsequent releases.

Sílvia Pérez Cruz – Toda la vida, un día (2023)

“Toda la vida, un dia” confirms Silvia Pérez Cruz as one of the most original and significant voices in contemporary Spanish-language singer-songwriting. This album, arriving after eighteen years of career, blends folk, jazz and flamenco across 21 tracks that marry intimate atmospheres with sophisticated arrangements, where acoustic instruments dominate, electric ones tread softly, and occasional electronic touches delicately colour the picture. The tracklist is split between Spanish and Catalan, with the odd excursion into other languages (Portuguese, French) that lend it an international breadth, aided also by a wide array of collaborators (ranging from Natalia Lafourcade, star of Mexican music, to Argentine folk singer Liliana Herrero, by way of the Italian choir Cima Tosa). The album stopped at number 12 on the charts, a step down from Pérez Cruz's previous results, but it is without doubt her most elegant and ambitious work to date.

Thanks to colleagues Giacomo Rivoira, Marco Sgrignoli and Gioele Sforza: parts of their reviews for OndaRock have been reworked and used throughout this article.

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19/03/2026