Raya Diplomática’s debut EP, ¡¿QUÉ PASA?! ¡¿YA NADIE QUIERE SER UN HOMBRE?!, is a chaotic, glittery punch of Spanish punk-pop that drags the past into a sweaty, neon-lit present. With tracks that bounce between sharp satire, queer anthems, and late-night existential dread, the band follows in the footsteps of acts like Alaska, Los Pegamoides, and La Élite (names deeply ingrained in the country’s pop culture mythology), but with a sound that’s entirely their own. Made up of filmmaker Javier Calvo (The cover star of our TELEVISION issue), Marco Frías (El Buen Hijo), Elena Rodríguez (Stella Maris), and Álex de Lucas (The Parrots), Raya Diplomática feels like a group of friends who just happen to make blisteringly good music together. And in a world that still asks “Does anyone even want to be a man anymore?”, their answer is a middle finger wrapped in glitter.
TODO ROSA kicks things off with a whirlwind of pink-tinged chaos. Name-dropping everyone from La Oreja de Van Gogh to Rosa López, the song feels like flipping through a trashy magazine at 3 AM while something chemically questionable kicks in. The video, starring Rosa Valenty, only adds to the surreal glamour.
Then comes WANANI (37 MARICONES), a track built around real-life raids on gay bars and saunas. It’s part protest, part celebration, shouting friends’ names like a last call before the world ends, backed by the Madrid Gay Men’s Choir. The cover photo, shot by Pablo Mas, captures the band’s world perfectly: a who’s who of Madrid’s queer scene, frozen in a moment of defiant joy.
HETERO FARLOPERO is pure punk energy. Screams in the bathroom, sudden tempo shifts, and shout-outs to Madrid streets and soccer players paint a picture of a very specific Spanish archetype: the straight guy hiding his vices from his girlfriend. It’s fast, loud, and doesn’t care if you keep up.
But just when you think it’s all wild abandon, NO ME QUIERO MORIR hits. A ballad for the after-party crash, it’s that moment when the fun curdles into something darker. The video, directed by Pablo Amores, leans into this vibe because even in the middle of the chaos, there’s always a second where you wonder, What the hell am I doing?
The EP closes with a cover mashup: VÉRTIGO / MUY CERCA DE TÍ, mixing versions originally sung by Ana Belén, Kaka Deluxe, and Alaska. Raya Diplomática could easily be archivists of Spanish underground pop, except they’d rather set it all on fire and dance in the flames.
Play it loud!
