Pereza, one of Spain's most popular rock/pop bands of the 2000s, separated amicably in 2011. The announcement of solo albums by leaders
Rubén and
Leiva soon followed, and the latter released
Diciembre in early 2012. For his pet project,
Leiva produced, composed all tracks, sang, and played most instruments in these songs dominated by electric and acoustic guitars, piano, and horn arrangements, inspired by the classic sound of American rock (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band,
Tom Petty) as reimagined by other Latin rockers such as
Andrés Calamaro and Enrique Bunbury. Upon its release,
Diciembre was poised to become one of the year's strongest sellers in Spain. ~ Mariano Prunes