Pastilla is the recipe for your ears to feast on the latest and greatest of… Read Full Bio ↴Pastilla is the recipe for your ears to feast on the latest and greatest of Rock en Espanol by San Francisco indie Aztlan Records. Pastilla is already on the racks, with advance orders having flooded the distributor before the CD had even been pressed. The official kick-off for Pastilla's premiere release took place in Los Angeles at Leonardo's.

Pastilla, formerly Juana la Loca, is one of the most intriguing and popular groups on the burgeoning California Rock en Espanol scene -- the heartland of Spanish rock in the U.S. Pastilla's trajectory is phenomenal. These four young Latinos -- average age 20 -- are destined for national and international acclaim.

Pastilla was formed in 1992 in Los Angeles. The group was incarnated as a melodic punk band with an international flavor to their music and songs. Today, based on solid instrumentation (more than 8 years of playing experience each), excellent songs and youthful charisma, Pastilla has evolved into one of the most promising and innovative groups on the Rock en Espanol scene.

Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Adrian Monroy (guitar & vocals) and Victor "chicles" Monroy (vocals, guitar & keyboard) are the foundation of the group. When Los Angeles Native Eric Rubalcava (drums) and Mexican-born Heriberto Gonzales (bass) joined Adrian and chicles, the group solidified as Pastilla and hit the ground running.

In early 1996, Aztlan Records signed Pastilla to a recording contract and rushed the band into the studio to make their music available. After non-stop, grueling days and nights in the studio, Pastilla finished recording their self-titled 14 track album.

Ernesto Ramirez, guitarist for Maria Fatal produced the album. Gonzalo "Gary" Wallis, lead for the group La Tele, engineered the project. Reflecting on the completed product, Ernesto said of Pastilla, "Their music is very fresh and definitely very distinguishable from what is common in the Rock en Espanol movement to date. Pastilla is very lyrical, melodic and creative and as a producer I am very satisfied and excited with the CD. The guys gave me total freedom to work with them and experiment with various ideas and concepts. They treated me like another member of the band."

Formula
Pastilla Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Por mas que trato
De entender

Que tus labios no calientan
Que tus manos nunca son
Las que me rezan

Nada puede hundierse

En mi conciencia

Nada puede hundierse
En mi conciencia

Me sedujiste con tus Dioses
Nunca vi en el sol sus explosiones

Nunca conoci a tu igual
Tu igual, Tu igual
Porque igual dependen confusiones

Nada puede hundierse
En mi conciencia

Nada puede hundierse
En mi conciencia

Ya no voy hallar la formula

Ya no voy hallar la formula

Hoy me voy a dar por vencido

Pues ya no voy hallar la formula

La formula

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pastilla's song Formula are about the confusion and deception that can come from an intense romantic relationship. The singer is struggling to make sense of their partner's behavior, despite their best efforts to understand. The first verse describes how the singer recognizes that their partner's actions don't match up with their words; they're not getting the affection and connection they crave from the relationship. However, they also can't shake their partner's hold on them, which is demonstrated by the line "Nada puede hundierse en mi conciencia" ("Nothing can sink into my conscience").

In the second verse, the singer reflects on how they were initially drawn in by their partner's "gods" or desirable qualities and abilities, but they never fully understood them. They never saw the "explosions" or more damaging aspects of their partner's nature. The line "Tu igual, tu igual, porque igual dependen confusiones" ("Your equal, your equal, because equals depend on confusion") suggests that the singer may have entered the relationship on an equal or level playing field, but that equilibrium has been lost.

The chorus repeats the line "Ya no voy hallar la formula" ("I won't find the formula"), which suggests that the singer has been attempting to "solve" the relationship and find a way to make it work, but now they've given up. They can't figure out what went wrong, nor can they fix it. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the repeated phrase "La formula" carrying a sense of finality and loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Por mas que trato
I'm trying my best to

De entender
Understand

Que tus labios no calientan
That your lips don't warm up

Que tus manos nunca son
That your hands are never

Las que me rezan
The ones that pray for me

Nada puede hundierse
Nothing can sink

En mi conciencia
Into my consciousness

Me sedujiste con tus Dioses
You seduced me with your Gods

Nunca vi en el sol sus explosiones
I never saw the explosions in the sun

Nunca conoci a tu igual
I never met your equal

Tu igual, Tu igual
Your equal, your equal