Rey Pila

Formation & Debut Album

Rey Pila was born as the solo project of Diego Solórzano, former frontman for Los Dynamite. After splitting from Los Dynamite in 2008, Diego immediately began work on material for his solo project. Rey Pila released their first self-titled album in 2010, which was recorded in New York and co-produced by Diego and Paul Mahajan (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The National). The album contained songs in both English and Spanish. Vice Magazine said, "the record belongs in the long and storied lineage of Mexican garage bands, from the garden path acid rock of Los Ovnis to the Beatles-esque jams of Los Locos." Solórzano enlisted long-time friends Andrés Velasco, Rodrigo Blanco and Miguel Hernández to play the first album live, and they ended up as full-time members of the band. By the end of 2011, Rey Pila had formally become a quartet.

The Future Sugar

In 2012, the band entered DFA Studios in New York to begin work on their second album with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Smith Westerns, Wavves). With this new material, Rey Pila signed to Julian Casablancas's label Cult Records, which released double-sided single "Alexander/Lady In Red" in October 2013.

The band went on their first European tour at the end of 2013, opening for labelmate Albert Hammond, Jr., and then supported Interpol on their 2014 North American tour.

In March 2015, Rey Pila announced their second studio album, The Future Sugar, which was originally set to be released on May 5 of that same year. Soon after, they released a new single "What a Nice Surprise", which Spin Magazine described as "a glittering build-up of reverberating synths and ’80s-inspired guitar licks". The band then embarked on a US tour with The Rentals.

After hearing some new demos Rey Pila was working on, Julian Casablancas urged the band to add three of these new songs to the album, which he co-produced himself. The lengthy process delayed the record’s release. "Fire Away", one of the new Julian Casablancas produced tracks, was released as a single on July 16, 2015, and the new release date for The Future Sugar was finally announced for September 25, 2015. Rey Pila then embarked on a tour with Brandon Flowers to support the release of the new album.

According to the band, the album title was inspired by a phrase from David Lynch's movie Wild at Heart. Noisey called Rey Pila's "most excellent new album's" sound as "a little new wave, a little Cars, a little bit of a Bowie quaver, a pinch of Q Lazzarus, a lot of switchblade cool".

On May 31, 2016, Rey Pila premiered a new Warren Fu directed video for "Surveillance Camera", and that same night opened for their new labelmates The Strokes at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

Studio Albums

Singles & EPs

Videography