Young Fresh Fellows turn decades of Spanish tours into «Bocetos de España»
After more than three decades of touring Spain, Seattle's Young Fresh Fellows have done more than collect memories: they have made a record about the places and people encountered along the
Most bands visit Spain to promote a record. Young Fresh Fellows have made a record to explain what those visits have meant. More than three decades of Spanish venues, late-night drives and friendships have become Bocetos de España, a 12-track album released by Madrid’s FOLC Records on 2 October 2026. A ten-date Spanish tour in January 2027 will bring the story back to the places that inspired it.
A map of venues, not monuments
The title is an affectionate nod to Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain, but the music belongs to Scott McCaughey and his Seattle band. Rather than producing a grand statement about Spanish culture, they revisit the particulars of touring: rooms that no longer exist, nights that have become stories and the minor geography of life in a van.
Tracks named «Gora Euskadi», «La Vía Láctea», «Barcelona Rag», «Casa Parrondo/Templo del Gato» and «From A Van Near Burgos» provide a different sort of travelogue. These titles will mean something very specific to some longtime fans, but even newcomers can understand the premise. A touring band’s relationship with a country is built at street level, through people as much as music.
Years in the making, two days in the studio
The group’s Bandcamp notes explain that some lyrics originated in Spanish bars and vans, with notebooks from 2013 proving especially useful. Other songs came together shortly before recording. The main sessions took place on 14 and 15 April 2026 at Crackle & Pop in Seattle with Johnny Sangster. Alongside McCaughey, the lineup includes Jim Sangster, Kurt Bloch and drummer John Perrin, while Peter Buck contributes 12-string guitar.
This is not a reunion project. Young Fresh Fellows never split and also released Loft earlier in 2026. The new LP is therefore less a farewell to an idealised past than a current band making sense of a long relationship with its audience.
Where to see Young Fresh Fellows in Spain
The January 2027 dates are El Puerto de Santa María (20), Seville (21), Alicante (22), Betxí (23), Madrid (26), Santiago de Compostela (27), San Sebastián (28), Gijón (29), Vitoria-Gasteiz (30) and Zaragoza (31). Heart of Gold has ticket information. McCaughey has said the setlists will mix the Spanish-themed album with older favourites.
The most rewarding aspect of Bocetos de España is its sense of exchange: Spanish audiences gave an American group venues and memories; decades later, the group has turned them into songs. The album is available through FOLC Records on Bandcamp, and the friendship is about to return to the road.