Spray
Electropop
Founded in 2001, Spray is comprised of Ricardo Autobahn (synthesizers) and Jenny McLaren (vocals, guitars), both formerly of Cuban Boys, who took their chaotic technopunk to number 1 on the Festive 50 (twice), recorded one of the best 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, 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 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 electropop 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.
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. 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 hit the top 10.
In 2019 Spray released their first album with AnalogueTrash and live performances continued. Having been a studio-based outfit for many years, this began a new phase with classics from Spray’s catalogue, some of their bona-fide chart hits, and some surprises getting outings at their shows.
2020 saw a lot of bored artists streaming their content online; and Spray were no exception, with live performances from their respective homes and the launch of Spray Social Mondays. These ad hoc video diaries, usually less than two and a half minutes to fit on Twitter, kept the nation informed of Spray’s activities, history, and skills, while also making their mother an internet sensation.
Lockdown didn’t stop Jenny and Ricardo making new music, which culminated in the release of Ambiguous Poems About Death in late 2021. Since then, the band have been prolific in terms of gigs, new material, remixes, and reworking back catalogue gems; sometimes in a new language as The Emergency Exit Man from the 2021 album became the basis for (Ich bin verliebt) in den Ampelmann in 2024.
In the midst of that whirligig of electronic wizardry, the duo dropped a series of cover versions – many suggested by their fan base – which eventually became the Songs Already Sung album. You’ll always get the unexpected with Spray, whether it’s songs about cats in space, the traffic lights of Berlin, or paying homage to the lyrical genius of Chas & Dave.
Along the way, Ricardo has kept himself busy treading the boards with Helen Love, labelmates Vieon, and a host of solo projects, collaborations, and being one half of the Pound Shop Boys. He’s also a very good friend of Hacker T Dog, by the way. Jenny has also lent her wonderful voice to tracks and live appearances by Vieon in recent years. Great popsmiths, wonderful entertainers who are well worth seeing live, and all-round nice people – that’s Spray.
