There’s nothing anemic about Anímic, a Catalan quintet hailing from Collbató, a village outside Barcelona. Quite the opposite: Their fifth album, Hannibal, comes on in a full-blooded rush, with songs like “Shoot ‘Em” scaling Swans-high peaks of intensity and atmospheric slow-burners like “El Crani I La Serp” approximating Mogwai’s soft-loud smolder. Along with shoegaze, post-rock, and stripped-to-the-bone post-punk, there’s also a twinge of Americana in their twangier moments; if there’s ever a Catalan version of True Detective, Anímic’s “Oració” wouldn’t make a bad replacement for the Handsome Family’s “Far from Any Road.” (Speaking of soundtracks, don’t miss SPIN’s 30 Best Musical Moments from TV’s Golden Age.) Perhaps the band’s sense of drama has something to do with the fact that Collbató is tucked into the slopes of Montserrat, a stunningly picturesque mountain where Christian mysticism mingles with UFO sightings.
Jupiter Lion, meanwhile, come from another world entirely: The Valencia trio’s debut album was a bracing, hypnotic blast of motorik neo-Neu!, while bandmember Gonzo in Vegas remixed their single “Black Mouth” into a throbbing example of late-’80s EBM on acid (house). Remixing Anímic’s “Hannibal,” Jupiter Lion give into their most beatific tendencies, spinning stray vocals and dub bass into a Krautrock-inspired epic that sounds like Seefeel in their prime. Taken together, the remix and the album make a strong argument that there are exciting things afoot on Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
Anímic’s Hannibal is out on BCore Disc on May 12; they play Liverpool Sound City on May 1 and London’s Old Blue Last on May 2. Stream the full album and hear Jupiter Lion’s “Black Mouth” remix below.
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