The Limiñanas

The Limiñanas

The Limiñanas are a French duo from Perpignan, made up of Lionel Limiñana and Marie Limiñana. Active since 2009, they work across garage rock, pop, psychedelic and rock, with a sound that also draws on garage pop, French pop, lo-fi textures and French psych influences.

Style and early development

The pair begin as a home-studio project in 2009. Their music sits between psychedelic rock, shoegaze and yé-yé, using hazy hooks, heavy reverb and occasional noisy distortion. Their vocals and overall feel recall mid-century French pop references, particularly Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, while their wider influences include John Barry, Ennio Morricone, Noir films and Victorian-era architecture.

Releases and labels

The Limiñanas first issue a single through Chicago label HoZac Records, followed by the 7-inch Je-ne-suis-pas-tres-drogue on Trouble in Mind in 2010. They later release Costa Blanca on Trouble in Mind, which appears in 2013. Their music is also described as containing echoes of Beck, Stereolab, gospel, yé-yé, guitar-fuzz, and Nuggets-era garage rock.

Identity and sound

Although the duo use a wide set of influences, their sound remains distinct and strongly associated with a French underground pop sensibility. The combination of reverb, distortion and retro references gives their work a timeless, looser garage-rock character rooted in southern France.