Photo by Guido Adler
Audio By Carbonatix
Stepping into the 21st year of its career, Argentinian indie-rock band Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado continues to cement its legacy. The quintet has stuck with its DIY, independent roots through world tours, performing at big festivals such as Primavera Sound or Lollapalooza, and winning a Latin Grammy.
The band is currently on the U.S. leg of its Súper Terror World Tour, which will wrap on Saturday, May 11, at the Miami Beach Bandshell.
Over Zoom from the residential studio Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas, frontman Santiago Motorizado reminisces about some of the band’s iconic “firsts.” He recalls the first time the band played in Barcelona at Primavera Sound in 2010. “It was our first time in Europe, and everything was new,” he tells New Times. “We played in front of the Mediterranean Sea at 7 p.m., the sun was setting, and it was an unreal moment. We were far from home, and people were receptive to us. After that afternoon, we had developed a powerful connection with the public from Spain.”
Motorizado says that, for him, first times tend to be magical.
“The first time we went to the Grammys, we were nominated, but we didn’t win,” he shares.
In 2022, Él Mató won a Latin Grammy for “Best Rock Album” for its fifth album, Unas Vacaciones Raras. But the band’s first time attending the award show was in 2018 for their first nomination.
“I felt like a stranger to that universe of the music industry, but I experienced it like a tourist looking at something strange and new. I had a lot of fun,” he admits. “Above all, those first times when one gets to know what it’s like entering a new adventure – those feelings are the ones that move you the most.”
There are still many firsts awaiting Él Mató. The band is currently at Sonic Ranch mixing its first live album, featuring recordings from the band’s two-night stint at Luna Park Stadium in Argentina. The concert was a historic moment for the band, according to Motorizado.
Then, later this month, Everyone’s Getting Involved, an album commemorating the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense concert film, is set to be released. It will feature Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado’s cover of the Speaking in Tongues track “Slippery People” alongside covers by Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Paramore, the Linda Lindas, and more.
The band’s involvement in the Talking Heads tribute makes sense when you consider Él Mató’s latest album, 2023’s Súper Terror. On the record, the band’s anthemic punk-rock style is mixed with ’80s influences.
“We played with two universes from the ’80s: the music that we grew up with that was on the radio – music that was commercial, more AM/FM but still part of our youth and the first contact we made with music,” Motorizado adds. “And also a bit of the ’80s alternative that we discovered more in our adolescence, like Pixies or the Jesus and Mary Chain. We played with that, looking for a future sound with elements of the past.”
When the band makes its way to Miami Beach on Saturday, Motorizado hopes the Argentinian expat community will turn out for the show.
“We were there for the first time in 2022, and I was there last year, but we’re excited to close this tour in Miami,” he adds. “It’s assumed Miami has a lot of Argentineans. Let’s see if they come to see us or not.”
Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado. 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; miamibeachbandshell.com. Tickets cost $46.35 at dice.fm.
