After a year of touring and spreading social commentary set to a psych soul soundtrack, É (Eduardo) Arenas of Chicano Batman is celebrating the end of the year by releasing some of his own music. First up is a Christmas tune inspired by the tongue-in-cheek styles of Chico Che and Rigo Tovar, a cumbia navideña called “Buñuelos a Montón.” The playful track is about tamales of all kinds, as well as barbacoa, jamón, menudo con pata, librillo, and of course, tons of buñuelos. The song features an unstoppable chorus that will have your mouth watering. Although it nods heavily towards Rigo and Chico Che, the rhythm and phrasing are also inspired by corridos and polkas norteñas, making for an interesting collision of styles.
In a press release, Arenas explains that although the track is not too serious, there’s an underlying message worthy of reflection. “I feel that maybe two generations from now, lots of recipes will be lost. Young people will be scrambling over YouTube videos for any reincarnation of their family’s old-school recipes. However, they merely need to get in the kitchen and help parents and grandparents cook.” As for what he hopes the track to achieve, he hopes to “bridge a generational gap, meaning that grandma, mom, son, and daughter will all take a piece of the song and relate. I wish for it to cause a resonating conversation inside of families or groups of friends about how we have more in common than we think.” Consider this a worthy competitor among other now-classic cumbias navideñas, like “Mi Burrito Sabanero.”