Don’t call it a comeback. Girl in a Coma, a mainstay of San Antonio’s alternative rock scene for nearly 20 years, are making new music together for the first time since their last album. Exits and all the restwas released in 2011. They are also planning new tours.

So what’s going on? After all, the celebrated local rocker trio – Jenn Alva and sisters Nina and Phanie Diaz – had apparently ended their relationship after what turned out to be their final show at the 2018 downtown Taco Fest.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Girl in a Coma’s farewell show planned for 2020 had to be cancelled. Three years later, the trio performed an announced “farewell show” at Paper Tiger – but since the show quickly sold out, there was a second “final” performance on the same weekend.

But that wasn’t all. Girl in a Coma performed at the relaunched La Semana Alegre fiesta event this spring in front of a huge crowd at Hemisfair.

The band members told CultureMap San Antonio that at these concerts, which were not true farewell shows, they felt a lot of heartfelt love from their fans – and that there was still a lot of creative energy flowing within them.

The reactions of the band members to their respective ongoing projects – Phanie Diaz and Alva in Fea and Nina Diaz in her solo career – also convinced them to revive Girl in a Coma.

“We saw the response. We met a lot of older fans’ kids – they started bringing their kids to the shows and introducing them to our music, and we just thought the three of us were on to something. We decided to just keep going,” said drummer Phanie Diaz.

“That’s where we are right now – the mix of the fans and our own lives,” added Nina Diaz, singer and guitarist. “It’s like we should stop messing around. I think we’re at a good point for all of us, we’ll do another album and then go from there.”

It will be a while before fans see Girl in a Coma back on stage together. A few shows in Texas and mini-tours are planned before the end of the year “to get back into the swing of things a little bit,” said Phanie Diaz. The band is also planning a West Coast tour in 2025.

As for new music, Girl in a Coma is dusting off at least two original songs that they began playing before their breakup.

“I’ve used ideas for my solo stuff too, but there are just some songs that I think are meant to be played with Jenn and Phanie, so there’s definitely more music to work on for the new album,” said Nina Diaz.

Girl in a Coma said they approach the creation of new music with no pressure and are keen to return to their alt-punk roots, but the trio will also draw on experience from side projects to create a new experience.

“Having Jenn and Phanie Fea, they experienced the writing process in a very different way,” Nina Diaz said. “I’m excited for them to bring that into Girl on a Coma, and me with my solo stuff and the producers and different musicians I’ve worked with. But we also sprinkle in a little wisdom here and there about what we’ve been through.”

The band members said they also don’t want to worry too much about releasing new music for both established and new fans.

“This will have a big impact on what we will create now that we are older and more experienced,” said bassist Jenn Alva.

Nina Diaz loves how younger fans respond to the “realness and rawness” of “Girl in a Coma.”

“I think it’s something that we express naturally in our songs, so I’m glad the three of us can do that together for people,” she added.

Girl in a Coma isn’t worried about motivating new or longtime fans to clamor for new music and live shows.

“It’s incredible that they’re still here,” Alva said of the band’s fan base. “The fact that all the people come back and the shows are sold out is something I can’t explain.”

Nina Diaz added, “We are real and we are home. This is our home. I think they feel a natural connection to what we represent and I’m grateful not only for them but for Jenn and Phanie wanting to get back together.”

In the meantime, Nina Diaz is working on her third solo album, while Alva and Phanie Diaz are working on Fea’s third record. Fans can catch the trio – albeit not as Girl in a Coma – on August 22 at Bang Bang Bar, where Nina Diaz and Fea will perform in advance of Fea’s upcoming tour. The show is free and begins at 8 p.m.