Delorean learns to chill

The Spanish dance rock band moves forward after a tumultuous 2013

Ekhi Lopetegi of Spanish dance rock band Delorean is reluctant to use the word "chill" when describing the group's 2013 album, Apar, for fear of evoking the infamous "chillwave" brand. But it is a word Delorean should embrace after wrapping up a big year. One of the big lows came in October 2013, when it was reported the band had been kidnapped, and the members were held captive for more than 24 hours. Police were able to free them without any harm, and the group released a statement soon after, the only time Delorean would comment on the kidnapping:

What followed for the next 30 hours was an experience where the threat of death was real due to the psychological manipulation inflicted on us by our kidnappers ... Our hope is that this situation will bring attention to the abuse that we were subjected to by our kidnappers, so that other travelers do not fall victim in the future.

Delorean plays One Eyed Jacks on Thursday, and as Lopetegi recounts 2013 and the work that went into Apar, it's clear why the band doesn't want to talk about the incident. It would rather not be defined by a frightful incident one October day, and is more interested in touring and creating more of its brand of finely constructed dance music. 

Apar came after three years of non-stop touring, Lopetegi says, and that affected the band's mindset when it was time to record. "We wanted to relax and be more reflective," he says. "I think, to a certain degree, it's a response. It's more contained."

Apar makes that shift evident. Where Delorean's past work has a frantic, scurrying feel, Apar has breathing room and doesn't mind taking a stroll where there would usually be a two-step. "We don't do long instrumental progressions like techno and house. On this record, we try to work on traditional structures." That meant a stronger focus on conventional instrumentation with drums, guitars and bass. Delorean, true to its namesake, makes that sound a lot like the '80s, and moments break through with the arena rock bigness of U2. The album remains current while drawing from pop music's vast influence. Lopetegi says there's a focus on immediacy, something he admires about pop music, where the message is in the forefront. "We like that feeling," he says. "We like when songs speak to you and tell you something real quick."

Balance became something vital for Delorean during and after 2013. The band aspires to spend as much time making music as playing it live, and as it becomes easier for anyone to master professional home-studio recording, the draw to be in studio more grows. Still, Lopetegi says it's still hard for Delorean to tear away from touring. . "Right now, we just want to keep going."