Las Cruxes
Yayo Trujillo sees more B horror movies than listens to music for inspiration these days.
Fittingly this Halloween, October 31st, 2025, will welcome Este Vacio, Las Cruxes new EP, via Conor Oberst label, Million Stars, into the world. The first single “ El Gran Rey Nada”is available everywhere today.
Yayo was born and raised in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. While Spanish Rock wasn’t on the menu at home, Yayo was exposed to the legendary sounds of SodaStereo, Fobia, Mana, Duncan DHU, Danza Invisible, Caifanes/Jaguares among other hugely influential Spanish rock bands, at backyard parties in the shadow of Dodger Stadium.
Knowing at a young age that playing music is what he wanted to do there’s always been a serious sensibility to how he approached it. This led Yayo to being in rock bands like Pastilla, Howler and Wellness before forming Las Cruxes and breaking all the rules he knew.
While the experiences that oft come with art - being broke, encountering racism on the road - are a part of Yayo’s story - so are headlining Vive Latino, playing Semana de la Juventud in Mexico City to an audience of 100k in El Zocalo, and playing the Staples Center.
Las Cruxes began as Yayo’s solo project in Los Angeles around 2016. A self described “very gnarly loud band with pop hooks” that’s set apart by being one of few within a growing number of Spanish rock bands in the US.
Trujillo started writing songs and inviting friends to join organically wherever he found himself. “I didn’t want it to be serious…” says Trujillo, who deliberately pursued a DIY direction emphasizing “a noisy raw sound without rules” — even naming the band (which translates to “The Crosses”) as a lighthearted joke.
Las Cruxes has historically operated as a variable ensemble—Trujillo collaborates with different musicians depending on where he finds himself. At times, the group has had up to 20 contributors across cities like LA, Omaha, Chicago, and Mexico City. While musical influences range fromThe Sex Pistols, The Cure, Pulp and At The Drive-In, Las Cruxes see themselves as defying stereotypes: bringing a Spanish-language rock presence that transcends expectations like “timbales and congas,” as he put it.
The band released their first EP “Casa” in 2017 via AFONICO and Monterrey’s CINTAS followed by a full length “Ilusiones, Depresiones” in 2018.
Conor (Oberst) met Yayo through friends after seeing Las Cruxes live a few times in Omaha. Their shared love of Lucha Villa along with a heavy hitters list of mutual favs led to a deep musical bond. It only made sense for Las Cruxes’ new EP “Este Vacio” to be released by Million Stars, Oberst's new label.
