Santa Espina, is a post-punk band from Barcelona, Spain, that has been alive since 2016, which has experienced numerous changes over the years.
They have recently released their latest EP «PSI» digital version through >bandcamp< and in October 2022 they will release the LP «Lo veo…Es el Final» with a vinyl version edited by Tomasz Woodraf through Bat-Cave Productions (Poland). This vinyl can be purchased now via >bandcamp<.
We talked to them and here is the interview
- Could you give us an update on who makes up Santa Espina?
Santa Espina is formed by Italo Bizarro (voice) from Chile, he plays double bass in Fullmoon Shakers, Psycho Tendencies, and he also sings in Go to the Dogs, David Güell (guitar), he plays drums in Ipsum Dolor, and have played bass in Eyaculación Post-Mortem, Alex Espino (bass) (former Dave Kusworth bassist from UK, and in Guttercats from France), and Paco Espino (drums), the last two members play in the band since it was founded in 2016.
As you can appreciate, we are deep into the underground scene. Our dark souls connected to this ultimate formation since 2018.
- Why did you choose the name «Santa Espina»?
We took the name from an old catalan red wine that is impossible to find now. You could buy it in the 90’s at a very low cost, and had a great quality.
When we began the rehearsals, we used to drink a lot of Christ’s blood, and we found that it went a lot with our music, it flows through our veins. Furthermore, we suspect that Jesus Christ flirted with wine, he also had a crown of thorns. This crown is an icon that we’ve used because our music is so passionate that it someway can make you bleed.
- How is the composition/creation process within the band?
One member brings an idea which we develop between the four of us. Especially we focus on the essence and mould the character. We have to say it’s a pleasure because we have a very similar taste in music. We try to don’t get lost, and in the moment our eyes go white and we have goose bumps, we know it has the sense and feeling it needs.
We are all very sensitive people and we simply want to translate it into music.
Italo usually makes the lyrics, and they use to fit perfectly with the mood of each song.
- About your last EP, what does the name «PSI» mean and could you tell us about this EP?
Let’s speak about our three EPs «Alpha», «PSI», and also the third «Omega» («Omega» will be released on October 2022).
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PSI is the 23rd letter of the greek alphabet, and its origin is attached to the idea of the Soul itself, and it made a lot of sense to place it right in the middle of the Beginning (Alpha) and the End (Omega).
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We simply wanted to deliver the content in three packs of four songs, and then put together, the 12 songs would be the totality of our new LP «Lo Veo… es el Final». We separated the songs always looking for some sense of coherence, so the audience would have their time to digest and assimilate.
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We’ve been recording and editing this album for…like a whole life! Because it is our first Long Play. The idea of release it all at once felt a bit unfair to us; there are too many years of suffering, changes of members, rehearsals in our catacomb, wasted livers… We’ve resurrected more times than Christ. We could write another Testament!
It’s an achievement and a victory to arrive after so many falls and so many puddles of blood.
We feel very satisfied and happy with the result. What do you think?
- Tell us more about your next LP «I see it… it’s the end».
The 3 EPs will conform our first LP «Lo veo… es el Final». The title of the album comes from the first frase of the second song «Vagando en la Oscuridad», after the instrumental song that opens the vinyl. We liked the title because it depicts the moment when a person realizes the End is coming.
It’s the gaze of an event that bursts into the end of something freezing into a moment of apocalyptic vision, giving ground to the lack of faith in the future we’re having in our lives right now.
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The songs that define the album are all previously unpublished and composed with the present formation of the band, except for «Bosque de Cruces» and «Oscuro», they belong to the first period, and we think it’s worth to rescue them.
- How did you get in contact with Bat-Cave Productions?
Alex Espino went to Berlin to see Ana Curra live to celebrate the first year with her couple.
In less than 24 hours they lived experiences there that can’t be told, no suitable for all audiences! One of them answers this question: In the post-party they met Tomasz Woodraf from Bat-Cave Productions who was also attending to the gig. They didn’t know each other, they met drinking vodkas at the bar of a bunker in the night of Berlin. They spoke about music, and Alex gave him as a present the split single 7″ with Endora y sus Vicios, and it seems to be that Tomasz already knew it and liked it. It was the stepping stone to invite us to his festival. We will be the spanish representation in this new edition, next October in Wroclaw, playing with the best bands of the dark scene. David played there with Eyaculación Post Mortem in the edition of 2015 and has bright memories of the event …And all this presenting the release of the LP edited by his label: A dream come true!
- How do you perceive the dark scene in Spain in general?
The dark scene in Spain is a minority, but very passionate. It’s always the same people at every place of the peninsula, and generally the promoters tend to be people that has been involved in bands in the past. We go on procession with rigorous black, all the roaches who love dark music.
The scene is formed by many bands now, and some of them are anonymous, because they can’t be shown in the showcase that other bands had in the past. We are people of different ages, stages and places, and each one of us has lived this scene differntly in Spain.
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We notice its like it’s always been: Few projection and not much future in this country. But one thing’s pretty certain, and it’s the passion that connects us all. We love and respect our scene, but we needed something more. We realized that we had to contact with other countries because we need to expand our limits.
Speaking of such, in Barcelona you can find amazing bands as Belgrado, Coàgul, Malefixio, Endora y sus Vicios, Red Ashes, Vacío Negro, My Own Burial, Stigmatroz, Ipsum Dolor, Sickness Suicide, Rosas Negras para la Novia, The Blind Ruffians, Mon a la Cova, and if we go out we’ll find an infinity of them. In the North: Mármol, Txarly Usher y los Ejemplares (David has shared stage with Txarly several times when he sang at La Casa Usher and Los Carniceros del Norte). If we go to Madrid, there’s Punkenstein and all the scene created by Jorge Larreina and his Rara Avis store. In Valencia you can find Sindicato Vertical, Yo-Diablo. In the islands you can find Desenterradas and in Asturias Viuda (we would love to play with them), and in Murcia Sudores de Muerte.
In adition, Alex Montes made the documentary «El Peor Dios», about the music and life of Desechables, another great dark influence in Spain, like many others (Sangre Cristiana, Parálisis Permanente, Golpes Bajos, Alphaville, Derribos Arias, Messiah of Pain, Remembrance, Extremaunción, etc…). Even though we love that some press defined us like «The Bauhaus from Barcelona».
- Will Santa Espina be on the next «Return to the Bat-Cave», tell us about it?
We are full of pride and honor for playing in a festival where Tomasz gathers together the bands he likes the most or represent the best of every place annually. This year will become true at last, because since 2019 it’s been delayed time after time because of the pandemic measures.
There will be playing legendary bands from the 80s as Red Zebra, 13th Chime or Ausgang (headlining), followed by many others like Senex IV, Sacred Legion, Noktva, The City Gates, Old Cat’s Drama, Quadrille, Gentle Ropes, Shadowhouse, Terminal A, Je T’Aime, etc etc…
- Do you have more shows scheduled?
We have a closed date in Barcelona the next Saturday, 26th of November in Sala Wolf, presenting the LP along with Charly Usher y los Ejemplares (where you can find Rafa Balmaseda, former bass player of Parálisis Permanente).
After that we’ll go to Madrid in the beginning of the next year for a show organized by Jorge Rara Avis.
Israel Olguin from Bambam Records wants to take us to Mexico on 2023!
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You can stay tunned following our instagram @santaespinapunk.bcn or f/lasantaespinaband
or email us to: elpeordios@gmail.com
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Thank you!
