Úrsula

“Taking the bull by the horns” is exactly what David Cordero did when he discovered that very few people around him shared his passion for electronic music. He chose the name for his musical group Úrsula, “just because it sounded good. Deciding on a name for a band has always been quite difficult for me”. In fact, it’s also difficult to decide on an appropriate name or label that encapsulates their style of music. If one had to classify their genre, one would probably have to talk about sad core, emo core, avant pop, inditronica… when in reality “Úrsula sounds like Úrsula, as well as certain influences”. And what are they? Helios, Khonnor, Arab Strap, Sigur Ros, Hood or “any song we happen to like”.

After changing band members several times, Cordero came to Seville with the intention of realising his vision. There he met Joaquín León and Juan Luis Castro and now the three of them make up the core of Úrsula as we know it today. “Making music, having fun and enjoying what we do is what gets us going” and that is the message they express through their music, even when it has a melancholy edge to it.

Guitars, bass, accordion, keyboards and even the xylophone all play second fiddle to the central creative force behind Úrsula: the computer. The electronic arrangements form the musical basis of the band. They flesh out the songs and ultimately allow the group to express their vision of the world more openly. They admit that their perspective is rather pessimistic but like them, it is in a constant state of transformation.

Those who attended the international music festival in Benicassim (Fib Heineken) will have already seen this internationally up and coming band perform live. Úrsula are inundated with invitations to play at festivals all over Europe, and the invitation also extends to Dj Úrsula, David Cordero’s alter ego when he is alone behind the mixing desk.

Their three albums, La banda sonora de mi funeral (Foehn Records, 2001), Todo vuelve ser lo que no era (Foehn Records, 2002) and Autoayuda emocional (Lejos Discos, 2005) showcase the musical evolution of this group who are already preparing their next record. It promises to be “simpler, less melancholy and more electronic”.

Experimenting is what they love best and their recent sounds include Últimas caricias, a 7 inch EP with three songs that pay tribute to the New York band The Misfits: “here we indulged ourselves a little. This is a great band who make music with a completely different sound to our own but the melodies are amazing and we wanted to do something different”.

If there is one thing that defines Úrsula, it’s quality. They don’t care about being labelled, what is commercially acceptable or deadlines because “a group only has their songs. If the songs are good, then the band is as well”.

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