“We see music as a channel to keep you critical and awake”

VEIN, The duo based in Madrid and formed by Carlos Toronado (PAL) and his partner Ana Galletero (Travolta, Joaquín Pascual), publishes “Double negation” (Beat/Repetitor, 26), a magnificent album that moves with (a lot) intensity between angry passages and a certain hope as a vital philosophy.

“Double negation” It is the second album of VEINthe band formed by Carlos Toronado and Ana Galletero. The album scores as a continuation of the Madrid-based duo, after that self-titled album that was released in 2021. “I think the main difference lies in the composition. On this album we have done the songs in a more relaxed way and we have chosen better the texts, the sounds, the structures, etc. With the first one everything was more stressed. Otherwise, the vibe is the same”, explains Carlos, before Ana complements the answer. “And also the sound, because in the first one we did practically everything ourselves and this one, by being able to count on Dany Richter in the mixing and mastering, has a better finish.”

“Optimism does not know despair or the negative; it does not allow criticism either”

“Double negation” It could be classified, in any case, as an album with a fiery soul and explicit manners. Carlos launches into the answer again. “The first song we made for this album was ‘Contrapaso’, in a pandemic and with the idea of generating hope… because if we all get into depression, there is nothing we can do. We were reading Ernst Bloch and his idea that hope is something that is learned and worked on seemed fundamental to combat that ideology that is being installed and consists of thinking that there is no alternative; that disaster and collapse is the only destiny. That ideology maintains the system, having motivated a state of permanent depressive consumption. We must try to turn it around. Ana reaffirms it. “Denying twice is like affirming, but you affirm after having gone through denying. Returning to the above, it is about denying things as they currently are, but also denying naive optimism. Hope works like that double denial. Optimism does not know despair or the negative And it does not allow criticism, which is why it is another way of legitimizing the existing order of things.”

The songs of “Double negation” They move between post-punk, thick and realistic indie-rock, and branches of krautrock and electronica. “It is not a very conscious process. We go searching and when something resonates with us, we feel that it is the path and we go there. I imagine that it is closer to what we have most unconsciously assimilated and what we most identify with,” says Ana. Another of the outstanding qualities of VEIN are his overwhelming lyrics, something that also stood out in PAL, a group in which Carlos served as guitarist and vocalist. “We put a lot of effort into finding the right texts. We have been inspired by readings of science fiction and philosophy: Kim Stanley Robinson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Franco Bifo Berardi, Paul B. Preciado or CCRU.” A list of names that Ana completes with: “Margaret Atwood, Donna Haraway, Jorge Riechman or Marina Garcés”. The result is a hypnotic and addictive dance, supported by anti-hymns loaded with bad stuff like “Contrapaso”, “Espectros” or “Telecuerpos”, forming that sequence that represents the plot thread of the album and crosses it from beginning to end. “It’s curious, because the initial sequence corresponds to the order in which the songs appeared. For the second part, it had to be elaborated more. We made several discards and we had to compose some more things that fit with what already existed without affecting too much on the same”. It is also a disturbing album, even apocalyptic at times. Or, in other words, current and very in line with the times we live in. “Certainly, and in some way, our songs reflect what happens or sensations and ideas that come from what we are experiencing. But we want to look through that crack where light enters, so as not to remain in catastrophism”says Ana. “We can’t make music that is evasive and outside of the present. We also see music as a channel to keep you critical and awake, not as mere entertainment, but also as a way to share a way of feeling and thinking. Our own survival without the other makes no sense. The way out is either collective or it is not.”

VEIN It is the proposal of two musicians of some seniority, so it is interesting to ask them about where they think their current sound fits. “On the margins, as always… (laughs), But we are happy because more and more people are joining and with the crowd that comes to bowling, a pretty nice energy is generated. Maybe we miss playing more. But we have revolved a lot around self-managed spaces and it is much more rewarding than the conventional ‘lounge circuit’.” A topic, that of the concerts, which also serves to close the interview, addressing a topic that Carlos deals with. “They are very good… (laughs). No, seriously, they are very intense and fun. “Quite danceable.” For her part, Ana has the last word. “We encourage you to come to Siroco on October 24 (or other dates that you can see on our channels). And also get some vinyl… (laughs). By the way, with incredible art by Clara Iris.” Believe them, because the fact is that they don’t lie. In nothing.