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El Perro del Mar (literally "The Dog of the Sea" in Spanish) is a musical project that was founded in December 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sole member of El Perro del Mar, Sarah Assbring (born 1977[1]), initially started as an MP3/CD-R artist and released her first songs through Hybris Records. Her music could originally have been described as melancholic indie pop, but in recent years she is noted for being a "chameleon" with "every visual, sound, costume, and so on painstakenly thought out" for consecutive albums.[2]
El Perro del Mar
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Indie pop |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Ging Ging Recordings The Control Group INGRID Memphis Industries Licking Fingers Hybris Records |
| Members | Sarah Assbring |
| Website | Official Site |
From 2004 to late 2005, Assbring's records had only been released by the Swedish label, Hybris, but in 2006, she experienced a host of new-found success when the album El Perro del Mar was picked up by UK-based label Memphis Industries, under which Dungen and The Go! Team also release. The album was also released by US label The Control Group in The U.S. and Canada. The Control Group has remained El Perro del Mar's American label home. Prior to the self-titled album, Assbring had recorded and released Look! It's El Perro del Mar! and the EP You Gotta Give to Get, in Spring 2005 and November 2005 respectively.
In early 2007, El Perro del Mar ended the relationship with Hybris and started recording for The Concretes's label, Licking Fingers. Her second album, titled From the Valley to the Stars, was released in Spring 2008. In 2009, El Perro del Mar collaborated with Rasmus Hägg (the other half of Gothenburg-based duo Studio) on what became her third album, Love Is Not Pop. The album was well received with the single "Change of Heart" standing out as a unique beat-driven melancholy pop-song. During the recording of her fourth album, Pale Fire, Assbring had a child.[3]
In 2015, a deluxe edition of El Perro del Mar's debut album was released, with the package containing eleven bonus tracks including the unreleased demos "In the Woods" and "An Eye for Gold".[4]
Her fifth album was released on September 16, 2016, and entitled KoKoro. The album was trailed with the release of the singles "BreadandButter" and "Ding Sum". According to Assbring, "KoKoro" is influenced by her "listening to only Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian pop music for the last three years.'[2] The album was co-written and co-produced with Jacob Haage.
On October 10, 2023, City Slang label announced El Perro del Mar signing and a new album Big Anonymous [5] to be released on February 16, 2024.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions[6] |
|---|---|---|
| SWE | ||
| 2005 | Look! It's El Perro del Mar!
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— |
| 2006 | El Perro del Mar
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— |
| 2008 | From the Valley to the Stars
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32 |
| 2009 | Love Is Not Pop
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37 |
| 2012 | Pale Fire
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43 |
| 2016 | KoKoro
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| 2024 | Big Anonymous
|