The Yellow Melodies

The Yellow Melodies are an indie pop band from Murcia, Spain whose music combines classic pop and psychedelic influences of the 1960s and ‘70s with contemporary instrumentation and production. The Yellow Melodies were formed in 1996 by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Rafa Skam; briefly called Rafa Skam, then Skam and still later Beatloss, the group finally adopted the Yellow Melodies moniker in August 1997. With Skam joined by Nacho on guitar and backing vocals, Carlos on keyboards, Raul on bass, and Ismael on drums, the Yellow Melodies soon recorded a demo and began touring throughout Spain; by the end of the year, the group had landed tracks on two compilation albums. In late 1997, they signed with Pussycat Records, and February 1998 saw the release of their first album, Repetorio B. More Spanish gigs followed, and Carlos left the band in the summer; the Yellow Melodies opted not to replace him. After recording an acoustic EP, they began work on their second album, but by the time High was released by Jabalina Musica in 2000, the band's lineup had become unstable; Raul left the group only to return after several months, and while High fared well commercially in Spain and Japan, in early 2001, Nacho, Raul, and Ismael all quit for good. Undaunted, Skam quickly recruited a new lineup, including Maria del Mar on keyboards, flute, and backing vocals (she had previously sat in with the band for their acoustic EP), Pilar Apariosi on bass and backing vocals, and Miguel Angel on drums. The new edition of the Yellow Melodies made their recording debut on the 2002 EP Surprise; however, Angel would soon leave the band, with new drummer Jesus coming on board in 2003, and del Mar amicably parted ways with the band in 2004, with Jaime Belmonte becoming their new keyboard player. The group would play no live shows between 2002 and 2004 before they were back up to speed, but in 2008, they played a number of high-profile Spanish festivals and issued a six-song EP, The Championship Cup. In 2010, the Yellow Melodies returned with their third full-length album, New Identities; eight of the album's 12 songs were also released as digital singles, with each single including exclusive bonus tracks.