Every day I fall a little bit more in love with Madrid’s punk scene, home to yet another fun, completely irreverent band that lives to party. That, my friends, is Pan y Toros, who’ve just released their second EP, Fuera de Coña, Prefiero Melón. Considering the word “coña” is Spanish slang for pussy, it’s no coincidence that the EP’s four tracks are about…you guessed it, girls, girls, and more girls.
You might have heard about the members of Pan y Toros from related acts like Alberto Azul and Esquimales. Unlike those bands, their style is just straight-up punk rock, like a mixture of The Ramones, The Descendents, and The Vandals. They take the three-chord m.o. and push it to the limit to craft melodies that are simple, fun, short, and danceable. I would complain about the lack of diversity thematically, but most of the songs are self-mocking tales of exploits and schoolboy antics (stolen underwear, anyone?), which basically sums up the ethos of ’90s pop punk.
On the EP’s cover they make light of the fact that they have no keyboard player, but Pan y Toros sound perfect in their current lineup. They’re good musicians and, randomly, they also make custom-made spoons, because what’s more punk rock than artisanal silverware?