Los Campesinos!

Since forming in 2006, Los Campesinos! have more than earned their exclamation point. The group’s discography is one big glorious car crash between raw indie-rock energy and dainty, glockenspiel-fed exuberance, mediated by an irrepressible frontman—Gareth Paisey—whose fiery disposition is balanced by his erudite lyrical wit. The members of Los Campesinos! first met as students at Cardiff University in Wales—though none of them are actually Welsh, and their name appropriates a Spanish term for farmers. After playing a local gig opening for Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos! released their 2007 debut EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, in North America through the Toronto collective’s Arts & Crafts imprint. The record fit snugly within the mid-2000s vogue for orchestrally inclined indie-pop collectives, though instant anthems like “You! Me! Dancing!” also exuded a scrappy punk spirit that transcended tropes. Los Campesinos! continued to fine-tune their balance of adrenaline and elegance on full-length albums like Romance Is Boring (2010) and No Blues (2013) even as their lineups shifted and the gaps between releases grew. The 2021 EP Whole Damn Body is a testament to their undiminished vigor, with the band sounding like The Smiths on the precipice of diving into the mosh pit.