Every week, we highlight some of our favorite releases in a handy list. Although we try to cover as much new music as possible, there are so many stellar releases to talk about. Consider this our genre-diverse guide to songs we have on repeat.
Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
1
Diego Raposo - "Tamales"
Over the course of 2018, Dominican production whiz Diego Raposo has built steady buzz around his new EP Caribe Express through a series of bold and unexpected collaborations with fellow rising stars like Mula and Venezuelan rapper Angelo Reeves. Out now, closer “Tamales” offers an exciting counterpoint to Caribe Express’s acrobatic dembow hybrids, opting instead for a meditative instrumental still rooted in the riddim but adorned with bombastic horn samples that burst like firecrackers in the clear night sky. –Richard Villegas
2
Ximena Sariñana - "Si Tú Te Vas"
The ostensible good girl of Mexican pop, Ximena Sariñana has dropped “Si Tú Te Vas,” a track and video redrawing the lines around her innocent image to portray her as a fighter – both figuratively and literally. The clip for “Si Tú Te Vas” casts Sariñana as a mixed martial artist fighting her way through a tournament, part of a journey of self-affirmation mirroring the theme of the song. In the track, she has reached emotional clarity and no longer fears the impending departure of a love that has held her heart captive for too long. –Richard Villegas
3
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - "Ana"
After years of honing a psych pop style that’s equal parts irresistible melodicism and cerebellum-crashing freakery, Mexico’s Lorelle Meets The Obsolete let themselves surrender to their experimental impulses and dive fully into a nightmarish vortex. Lorena Quintanilla’s voice swirls repetitively, while haphazard electronic stabs come and go as though the Northern lights were jamming to their favorite Hendrix records. –Marcos Hassan
4
The Marías & Triathalon - "Drip"
For everyone out there who swooned when Clubz and Buscabulla’s joint track dropped, here’s yet another ethereal funk collab to make us daydream. L.A. psych pop crew The Marías and NYC tourmates Triathalon put their musical superpowers together to make “Drip,” a perfect marriage of both bands’ aesthetics. Someone starts by making seductive moves on us, but halfway through, we just succumb to smoky romance and sighs of love. –Cheky
5
Bea Pelea ft. Trapani - "Recuerdo" (prod. Paul Marmota)
Spain’s latest reggaeton ingénue gets her shot on a beat from the nocturnal styling producer Paul Marmota. She uses it to spin a tale of love that may not be totally lost; “No todo fue lamento/Insiste la princesa de tu cuento.” –Caitlin Donohue
6
FDZ - "Pump Fake"
Check the mélange of very “American” menu specialties rolling across the screen in this California rapper’s video — modern-day taquería, Thai, and soul food classics serve as shorthand for FDZ’s expression of 2018 Chicano realness as much as the spot-on bilingual lyrical moves from his EP Summer Selections Vol. 3. –Caitlin Donohue
7
Stallone - "Drowned"
Melodic guitar lines intertwine to salute a few different corners of 90s rock. There’s shoegazey guitars, slacker rock attitude, and anthemic grunge-like choruses. The sprawling track will give you plenty to pick apart in the coming days, as well as give you a hint of the promise this Bogotá band has. –Marcos Hassan
8
Joni Forest - "Disco Vulgar"
Mexico-based Venezuelan producer Joni Forest (fka Jairomendez and Lakra) uses touches of tropical bass and the last crumbs of EDM he could find to make a techno-driven track for a kinky night at the club. Despite its title, this upbeat party song isn’t vulgar, but we can’t say the same thing about the dance moves it’ll inspire. –Cheky
9
Childs - "Elegía Crepuscular"
Manrico Montero was a Mexican ambient artist and field recording researcher who tragically passed away a few months ago. A beloved figure in the Mexican electronic music scene, Montero has received well-deserved tributes to his warm personality and bold music, and now Mexico’s premier post-rock band Childs has created an homage of its own in the form of “Elegía Crepuscular.” A deeply emotive instrumental is punctuated by birdsong – Manrico’s favorite music found in nature – used here as if to communicate with the departed musician in whatever plane he’s inhabiting now. –Marcos Hassan
10
Mente Orgánica - "Kundalini"
Crystalline guitars draw lines around “Kundalini” like glass shattering in slow motion, guided by harmonious spirits among us. The lush, downbeat track by Colombian producer Mente Orgánica is chill but vivid, conjuring sensual images in monochrome, and layered with enough musical cues to guarantee a few days of repeated listens. –Marcos Hassan
11
A.CHAL - "La Dueña" ft. Darell
A.CHAL has been quietly plotting the follow up to his 2017 mixtape ON GAZ, and this rework of “La Dueña” featuring Darell is the first taste of his EXOTIGAZ EP. The clip finds the Peruvian singer, songwriter, and producer in a dimly light Guadalajara nightclub, submitting to the whims of a mesmerizing dancer. Darell’s verse adds convincing bravado to the creeping beat. –Isabelia Herrera