Eh, Mertxe!

Born in Oyón-Oion, in La Rioja Alavesa in the Basque Country, Eh, Mertxe! has been operating since 2015 in a direct rock and roll register, carried by a garage rock energy, melodic punk and urban rock sung in Spanish and Basque. The group first became known with the EPs Distortsioaren bidean in 2016 and Calles perdidas in 2018, while publishing that same year a split with Azken Hatsa on the label Discos Invertebrados. In these early formats, Eh, Mertxe! develops short, nervous and catchy tracks, built around frank guitars, tight choruses and a tone both frontal and everyday. The group's trajectory was also marked by the pandemic-imposed stop, documented in the film Una banda de mierda en una época de mierda, presented in 2021 and directed by Ibai Verlaine. Eh, Mertxe! then released its first album, Lo sabes bien, published in 2022 according to several press sources, after an initial edition dated 2020 in some discographic databases. This quartet, composed of Ibai, Adrián, Tali and Iosu, is part of an independent scene in the north of Spain where proximity rock, DIY culture and circulation between small venues, local labels and festivals anchored in their territory intersect.