AmyJo Doherty, she’s a rebel with a melody, a storyteller with a punk heart—meet the force behind ‘Spangle Landia,’ the latest album from The Spangles.

Known for their energy and unapologetic spirit, The Spangles blend gritty Madrid street vibes with a dash of humor and a whole lot of soul. ‘Spangle Landia’ captures the chaos and beauty of life, weaving tales of love, rebellion, and personal freedom with an infectious sense of fun. The album feels like a wild road trip through heartbreak and triumph, complete with unexpected pit stops at humor-filled jams like ‘Museo del Jamón.’ With its eclectic mix of collaborators, the record showcases a band growing bolder, tighter, and more confident in their craft. It’s a manifesto for living authentically and dancing through it all.

“Love really is the only thing that truly exists”

‘Spangle Landia’ explores love, rebellion, personal freedom, and even Jamón. How do these themes reflect your life and the world you see around you?

AmyJo Doherty: Wow, there are four magical words right there! And I suppose they all are a direct reflection of my life and of the world around me! Ha ha ha… Which makes sense because that’s where the inspiration for the songs comes from! Love really is the only thing that truly exists… they even say it doesn’t have an opposite.

But I suppose if we have to mention one word, it would be fear. And fear is what keeps us trapped and stuck inside a world, situation, or life that really isn’t our own. Sometimes not being afraid is an act of rebellion. We lose our personal freedom many times when we don’t choose love… and although it sometimes sounds ironic, choosing love can be an enormous act of rebellion.
And I think Jamón sums all of that up quite nicely. Heehee.

You’ve said, “Punk is not a musical style; it’s an attitude.” Could you share a bit about the rebellious spirit that drives ‘Spangle Landia?’

Yes, well, it’s a rebellion in many senses against what we are conditioned to believe. Sometimes artists or creative people are made to feel “strange” or like “outsiders” because they don’t fit inside the tight little boxes that a grey and bland society puts out for us to squeeze into from when we are very young. When you suddenly start meeting people doing the same thing, you realise that you are alright and you can be yourself… and it was all just a load of propaganda to help control things more easily. So our message is to encourage following that feeling inside us… those flashes of light that make you want to dance and dare to do something different.

You capture Madrid’s atmosphere in your music—a gritty yet vibrant scene. How has Madrid shaped the sound of “The Spangles”? Can you tell us more about what the city brings to your art that wouldn’t be there otherwise?

Madrid is an incredible city, with something for everyone! It’s got a very rich underground scene with musicians and artists from all over the world, and you cannot help but be influenced by the incredible energy on the street. Madrid has shaped the sound because it has shaped me. I was born as an artist here, and I will be forever grateful to this city for helping me discover who I was.

‘Spangle Landia’ brings together an eclectic mix from across The Spangles’ extended family. How does this network of musicians impact the recording process, and what elements do they bring to the sound of the album?

Yes! There are three different drummers and two bass players on the album! …And on the front cover, there are also The German and Belgian Spangles, who have played on tour with us several times. The album is a compilation of our last EPs, and so some songs were recorded a few years ago with the members at that time. Bands change a lot, especially at this level when we aren’t really making money, and it’s either out of love or madness that we dedicate ourselves to it. Haha.

‘Shut Up’ takes aim at the haters and critics. Is this a reaction to any specific experiences you’ve had, and do you see it as a rallying cry for anyone who feels judged or misunderstood?

I wrote it during the Covid pandemic, and I suppose at some point I just grew very tired of hearing the complaints and criticisms of people. There are so many people who just like to complain and criticize but without ever offering any solutions or actually getting up and making changes themselves! In English, we call them “armchair critics,” which is why the chorus is asking them to get up and take a look outside!

In ‘Time Trap,’ you talk about time as a kind of prison or trap. How does music help you escape that trap?

I have always felt that time is a bit of an illusion and really an invention to keep us trapped in our own mental prisons. It has always fascinated me that it’s such a driving force within society. Everyone is obsessed with it, and yet it doesn’t REALLY exist! The only moment that is real is the very here and now. Music is always a great way to travel out of your own head and to anywhere else that you would like to go!

‘Highwayman’s Waltz’ is such a poetic look at moving through pain. When you write songs about these raw, intimate experiences, how does it affect you personally?

Thank you for that! I actually very rarely play these more intimate songs outside of my house, exactly because they are so personal—they’re harder to share! When I was younger, I found it very hard to be so open and honest (with myself mostly), but now I actually find it very therapeutic to sing these songs. Many people have told me that they really enjoy them too, and it really is an honour and very comforting to think that by sharing your own pain, you could be helping someone else through theirs as well.

In ‘Take A Stand,’ you push listeners to stand up for their truth. What truths have you discovered for yourself in this journey, and how has expressing them in your music changed you?

Yeah! You got the idea! I have honestly learned so much about myself during the journey so far. And the worst thing to learn is that I was ignoring, running away from, and even mistreating myself at various stages along the way. The creative process is so therapeutic for that exact reason—because art uncovers our truths. It helps us make sense of the madness out there and gives us our voice back, as long as you are being very honest with yourself, of course!

You describe ‘Back on the Road’ as a song that marks a transition from survival mode to truly living.

Yes! It really is, and it’s incredible that we were all going through very different but hard moments at the time we were writing it. That’s how it was born! David, the guitarist, didn’t actually know what I was singing about at first, and when I told him, he said his hairs stood on end because that’s exactly what he had been feeling—and exactly what his guitar was singing about too. It’s very magical when that happens, because sometimes it can be a totally opposite experience!

With tracks like ‘Museo del Jamón,’ you bring in humor and lighthearted moments. How important is it for you to maintain that playful spirit alongside the more intense themes?

Well, I am a very optimistic person, and I think that even when I write about quite dark and serious issues, there is almost always an element of ‘lightness’ in it. I have Irish and Liverpudlian genes, and we are the kind of people that very rarely lose our sense of humour. Laughter, as well as music, is an incredible medicine!

How do you and the band approach collaboration? Are there particular roles everyone naturally falls into, or is it more fluid and spontaneous?

It normally starts with me bringing a very basic skeleton of an idea to the band—sometimes just a verse and a chorus or an idea—and then it nearly always turns into something very different! We are all VERY different, and it’s actually a real honour to work with such talented people and see how ideas turn into whole songs. The most important thing, really, which makes it work, is that we all listen to each other and at least play out ideas, even if we don’t agree with them at first. It’s always interesting to try things, and sometimes it can be so much fun just messing around with ideas and trying out different styles!

Looking back to ‘Calle de Spangles’ and now at ‘Spangle Landia,’ how do you feel The Spangles’ sound has evolved?

I feel that it has matured A LOT, but still with the same playful and punky spirit. We are tighter, brighter, and a lot more confident. I feel like I’m a TOTALLY different person both on and off the stage. I started being in a band very late, so although I was almost 40, I was really just starting out as an artist… So perhaps this is now my puberty stage!

What are you currently listening to? Would love to hear about some of your latest favourite records…

I listen to a lot of old stuff… I just checked, and on my record player sits a David Bowie album (‘Hunky Dory’), and on Spotify this morning, I was listening to a whole mix of stuff. At the moment, I really love Yard Act and C.U.T. I listen to a whole range of music, depending on my mood. I often get home and just need silence too!

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours…

Thank you for reading this far. I hope you can listen to ‘Spangle Landia’ and that you enjoy it and take some kind of message or energy from it to make you—and the world around you—feel better somehow. Love and music always!

Klemen Breznikar

AmyJo Doh & The Spangles Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / YouTube
Strap Originals Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / YouTube