Madrid-based singer Coque Malla releases the album “Even though we are dead,” a bold statement that answers the fleeting nature of existence with vibrancy, noise, and restless energy.
in this disk It touches on an unrelated topic. Have you been affected by the deaths of music idols that have trickled in in recent years?
Actually, I never sat down to think about it, yet the truth remains: Bowie, Prince, Cohen, Jerry Lee Lewis… those names stirred a sense of immortality in listeners. I understand that feeling now. Beyond that, a handful of forces converged: time itself, the dawning of calculations that felt disturbing… summer arrived and the question echoed, “again?” The pandemic delivered an existential shake, making mortality impossible to ignore and highlighting fragility. Later came the loss of my parents and the responsibilities of fatherhood. Death also shows up as a metaphor for endings—kids growing up, relationships dissolving, friendships fading.
in culture source It was common to treat death as tragedy and gothic, yet over time it seeps into art in new ways as creators recognize its gravity.
I believe death threads through any work that craves attention, whether it’s painting, literature, or music. Art is created with elements of death, desire, spiritual hunger, and the drive to connect. What gave the project confidence was feeling the album’s vitality—there’s life in every moment. A throwback approach was never the plan, and the result proves it.
The album blends a touch of sinister naiveté with a strong melodic focus and a production that invites exploration.
I enjoy the live, garage-band backbone mixed with sound effects that add depth. The parallel project by Radiohead members, The Smile, offered a blueprint; there’s even clearer influence from both camps on this record. It’s a conceptual effect born from these artists’ knack for reshaping songs and keeping listeners surprised. As a modest Spanish student, I attempted to translate that spirit into my own work.
Short album: ten songs. Do you write a lot and then select?
For some time, the routine has involved recording skits over the phone and humming ideas. Maybe I’ll spend two years making rough recordings and end up with a hundred clips, then pick ten. Those ten become the core. I aimed to sustain a steady, intense pulse throughout the album. Extending it would likely have dulled that momentum.
The title track carries romanticism: “I can’t resurrect / but I can invent a life for you.”
Seeing more love in later years brings happiness. When love feels destined for life while life itself is finite, it becomes heavy. The idea of dying together is both cruel and profound.
He has released solo albums for nearly a quarter of a century, with the latest cycle beginning in 2016 with The Last Man on Earth, signaling a second, lively phase in his career.
Thank you, yet there’s a sense of power and a source inside that remains hard to pinpoint. Where do muses come from? One possible origin is the realization that art and creation are boundless. If the choice is to roam beyond a fixed style and keep experimenting with melodies, harmonies, and ideas, the well never runs dry.
The Ronaldos emerged in 1985, marking the tail end of a movement. What is your take on the Guardianesque debate about its benefits and drawbacks?
I only experienced the era through my brother’s eyes. He was a child who stayed indoors. I didn’t know about Rock-Ola or Penta. Is there anyone who opposes this shift? I can’t quite understand that stance.
It feels almost meaningless to politicize it all.
That depoliticized generation carried its own weight because this is a painful era. After the stifling impact of dictatorship, remarkable things emerged from the movement, and that felt natural. The endless online debates can be exhausting and sometimes silly.
So when an album drops, which television channels does it reach?
Not many, honestly. Recently they appeared on Culturas 2 on La 2, a live voice-and-piano performance. There’s no heavy push to be on programs. People tell me, “But you don’t make music anymore, do you?” They don’t grasp what’s happening. Some still think I and Bunbury are gone.
There was also a moment to watch him perform with Miguel Ríos at Palau Sant Jordi.
He acknowledges that period too, admitting that he felt out of step at times, though the love of performance remained. Singing with Ríos in Barcelona, a moment as bold as singing My Way with Sinatra, epitomized the mix of humility and daring in his career.