As a creative vehicle for Rulo aka Raúl Gutiérrez Andérez, Rulo y la Contrabanda takes lovingly crafted storytelling to new heights. The former lead singer of rockers La Fuga found the freedom to hone an increasingly personal yet highly relatable form of songwriting. Chart-topping 2010 debut Señales de Humo ushered in a series of albums powered by alternative anthems and simmering ballads tinged with folk and blues—proving a demand among Spanish audiences for robust rock riffage that doesn’t sacrifice honest emotion or substance.