Underwater Tea Party

Madrid’s Underwater Tea Party have been one of the most exciting bands on the Spanish pop scene for the last few years and on their debut Suburban Metronome they prove that the buzz has not been unfounded. Armed with an almost otherworldly sense of the modern pop song, the band plays a breezy brand of indie rock that touches on everything from The Zombies to Flamenco. “Cityscapes & U.F.O.’s” churns with a dark pop energy; “Long Island Ice Tea” sounds like a lost ‘60s classic and “Silent Moans” suggests Belle and Sebastian. The album’s piece de resistance, however, is “The Untold Story About Mary and Nick,” an alluring boy-girl duet that sounds like a dream pairing of Robyn Hitchcock and Isabel Campbell. Singer Clara Martinez has a smooth delivery that ripples and rolls in hushed and elegant ways. She can be forlorn (“Void”) or buoyant (“Ampelmann”) but either way she’s an incredibly engaging singer. Produced by the legendary Spanish knob turner Fine Oyonarte, who was blown away by the band’s live performance at the 2005 Navalpop Festival, Suburban Metronome is charming and mysteriously affecting.


- Amplifier Magazine

Underwater Tea Party’s debut album Suburban Metronome is a reminder of how to do European indie pop right. Originally released in Spain in late 2006, this now year old album is finally getting an American release thanks to Zip Records and mixes male and female vocals along with English and even French vocals. The result is a refreshing listen that has enough variety in its 10 tracks to keep listeners enthralled for quite some time.

The instrumental styles constantly change throughout the course of Suburban Metronome, but all of the grooves and riffs are firmly rooted in the pop genre. Each song always has melody as a key focus, but there are a number of distinctive influences evident throughout the course of this album. Songs such as “The Last Goodbye” and “Void” have a Radiohead esque guitar style to them with melodic riffs that have a spacey quality. Other songs twist between indie pop tracks with some Spanish and French influences, giving the album a European flair that the genre hasn’t seen enough of.

Throughout Suburban Metronome there are songs with both male and female vocals, but the female ones are clearly the main focus. They are extremely melodic, both in English and in French on the track “Tempete de l ‘Ete” (which means Storm of the Summer in English). Both vocalists match well with each other and balance out the sound of the other, giving Underwater Tea Party a sound all their own. And not only that, but the vocals on the aforementioned are so beautiful that they deserve a listen. Americans may be anti-French in this day and age but Underwater Tea Party’s French track is a reminder of how beautiful the language can be.

It may have taken over a year for Underwater Tea Party’s debut album to be released in the US, but it has been worth the wait. Though the album may be a tad bit too short for some people’s liking, it is packed with variety and a European flair that helps the group stand out. Suburban Metronome is a pleasant surprise and an album any indie fan should check out.

http://www.ziprecords.com
- Cosmos Gaming

Nice, upbeat, hummable guitar pop from Madrid, Spain's Underwater Tea Party. True to the claim of the accompanying press release, this band's music recalls artists like Belle and Sebastian, Ivy, Yo La Tengo, and Stereolab. Fans of any of these bands are likely to find a lot to love about Suburban Metronome. Spain has become a real hotbed of talent over the past few years...and Underwater Tea Party is certainly right up there with some of the country's best pop acts. The band's smooth, catchy, ultimately hummable pop music is easy on the mind and spirit...while slightly exotic and rather unique. And the female vocalists sound wonderful. This ten song album is a pure feelgood experience from start to finish. Cool cuts include "Cityscapes & UFOs," "Long Island Ice Tea," "The Untold Story," and "Holophonor." (Rating: 5+) - Baby Sue