Deluxe

Deluxe is the alias of Galician alternative pop/rock one-man band Xoel López, a critical favorite who also enjoyed plenty of commercial success, especially after signing to EMI Music Spain following several years as an indie sensation on the Mushroom Pillow label. Though his early albums were written and sung mostly in English, he soon switched to Spanish, which aided his mainstream breakthrough with “Que No” in 2003. From La Coruña, Galicia, Spain, López made his recording debut as Deluxe in 2001 with the album Not What You Had Thought (2001) on the fashionable independent alternative label Mushroom Pillow. The album’s lead single, “I’ll See You in London,” became a hit and got his career off to a strong start. Also at this time, López assembled a backing band to accompany him on a supporting tour and established himself as a strong live performer. His follow-up album, If Things Were to Go Wrong (2003), was another success; featuring songs in English as well as Spanish, the album earned lots of critical raves, spawned a major hit (“Que No”), and warranted a special edition re-release with bonus material in 2004. A seven-song EP, We Create, We Destroy (2003), followed as well, as did more concert touring. For his third full-length album, Los Jóvenes Mueren Antes de Tiempo (2005), López switched from English to Spanish entirely. Another well-received album critically, Los Jóvenes Mueren Antes de Tiempo was chosen as Rolling Stone magazine’s top album of the year in Spain. On his next album, Fin de un Viaje Infinito (2007), López made another switch, moving from Mushroom Pillow to a major label, EMI Music Spain. With the major-label deal came increased mainstream exposure for Deluxe, whose next album, Reconstrucción (2008), benefited from the extra marketing, becoming a Top 30 hit on the Spanish albums chart. ~ Jason Birchmeier