Founded in 2001, self-styled indiepop chameleons Spray are comprised of Ricardo Autobahn (synthesizers) and Jenny McLaren (vocals, guitars). Both formerly of the Cuban Boys, they took their chaotic technopunk to number 1 on the Festive 50 (twice), recorded one of the best-regarded Peel Sessions ever and went head-to-head with Sir Cliff Richard in a Christmas Chart Battle. Their hit single ‘Cognoscenti Vs Intelligentsia’ (a.k.a. ‘The Hamster Dance Song’) sold a million copies, reached number 4 in the UK single charts, landed them on Top of the Pops and, in the words of John Peel, was “the most requested song I’ve had since ‘God Save The Queen’.
In a mathematically constructed list presented by RockListMusic.co.uk, the Cuban Boys registered as the 30th most popular band in the history of the John Peel Show, ranking ahead of the Inspiral Carpets, The Cure, Nirvana and The Stone Roses. BBC producer Mike Engles selected the Cuban Boys’ first Peel Session as one of his top 10 all-time favourites, alongside Nirvana, The Damned and Ivor Cutler.
Following their transition to a more electro sound as Spray, the duo released their debut album ‘Living In Neon’ in 2002 on U.S. indie label Ninthwave Media. This was followed by ‘Children Of A Laser God’ in 2006, which included their smash cover of Lisa Lougheed’s ‘Run With Us’ (also ‘The Raccoons’ theme song). After a hiatus Spray’s fourth album ‘Enforced Fun’ was released in 2016 on cult dance label Banoffeesound before they joined Manchester’s record label and artist collective AnalogueTrash for 2019’s ‘Failure Is Inevitable’.
Behind the scenes Spray were the secret weapon behind the UK’s 2006 Eurovision hit ‘Teenage Life’, having written and produced it with their friend Daz Sampson, as well as singing the treated vocals for the track. Ricardo Autobahn and Sampson would also collaborate on a dance version of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ under the name Rikki and Daz, recording it with the legendary Glen Campbell himself and filming its expensive video in the Arizona desert. This track also went top 10. More recently Spray recorded music with anarchic BBC star Hacker T. Dog, and Ricardo also plays keyboards with Welsh punk pop legends Helen Love as well as writing music for TV and radio, which has been heard from BBC4 to ITV2 and from Australia to the USA.
Their role in the Barndance Boys 2003 hit ‘Yippie I Oh’ must remain unreported for credibility reasons.
PEEL SESSION STATS: http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/festive50lists.htm MIKE ENGLES TOP 10 SESSIONS https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcmusic/2009/11/my_top_10_maida_vale_sessions.html
SPRAY LINKS: http://www.spraypopmusic.com http://www.instagram.com/spraypopmusic https://twitter.com/spraypopmusic http://facebook.com/spraypopmusic https://spray.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/0lF1G9Lj5OsNKzBXmZWdcd?si=k3sTg5niQZarnN9onE61ig&nd=1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spray_(duo)
INFLUENCES Sparks, The Buggles, DEVO, Pet Shop Boys, the KLF, Chvrches, and The Big Moon.
QUOTES “Anthologised by Cherry Red taps into the very heart of what made synthpop a juggernaut for almost two decades…it’s fresh, it’s fun, and it’s an excuse to dance your cares away. It also shows that Spray hasn’t lost a bit of their verve, crafting a near perfect pop gem that’s an earworm and a half. I dare you to listen to it only once…you can’t do it!” – Echosynthetic
“A refreshing approach to the old style electronica… a masterful dance gem” – The Electricity Club
“In fine form… Smart, quirky and downright memorable” – The Spill Magazine
“A synth-drenched dream from start to finish” – MyFizzyPop
“If you’re in search of well-crafted dance-pop music that will appeal for a wider audience and make your friends dance during a warm Saturday night garden party, Spray will be your best friend” – Side-Line Magazine
“Utterly ridiculous genius” – Soundblab
“One of the best modern synthpop bands in the world… big huge sound… a godsend” – Chain D.L.K.