This is our weekly compilation of newly released bite-sized song reviews from our talented music writers. Discover new favorites, read nuanced criticism of the week’s hottest releases, and much more. Who knows, you might walk out of this with a new fave or two. Some of the featured artists include Álvaro Díaz, YEИDRY, and Alaina Castillo. Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
Álvaro Díaz - “Close Friends” (feat. Young Miko)
Right in the middle of Álvaro Díaz’s acclaimed 2021 album Felicilandia sits “Close Friends,” a reggaeton track the Boricua artist has now released as his new single, alongside a Rodo Gautier-directed music video. The song brings the Instagram experience out to the music world; he’s getting mixed messages from a love interest who keeps adding him and taking him out of her close friends list while he low-key sends her messages through his captions. It’s a teasing game that’s driving Díaz crazy, and he wants to put a stop to it under the sheets. – Cheky
Natalia Clavier - "Underwater" (Ethno Remix)
Known for fronting Thievery Corporation, Natalia Clavier has proven herself to be a world-class vocalist. On her solo project, she takes full musical control of her output, resulting in tracks like “Underwater,” which just got a few reinterpretations from close collaborators. Thievery Corporation drummer Jeff Franca — under his alias ETHNO — handles this version, amplifying the nocturnal vibes of the track thanks to its spare midtempo rhythm, sly electronic textures, and Clavier’s vocals at the center. This remix sparkles like a lone firefly on a spring night. — Marcos Hassan
Tim Bernardes – “Nascer Vivier Morrer”
Earlier this week, Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim Bernardes announced the release of his upcoming album, Mil Coisas Invisíveis, out June 14 via artist-run Durham label, Psychic Hotline. At the heart of his latest single, “Nascer Vivier Morrer,” is a soft and misty near-two-minute meditation that traces “the journey of life from birth to death” before settling into the peaceful stillness of “just being.” It’s an intimate, one-person feat (drums, bass, guitar, percussion, and vocals are all provided by Bernardes) that merges the worlds of stripped-down dream pop and psychedelic folk. – Nayeli Portillo
Alaina Castillo - “Sad Girls Always Finish First”
The Mexican-American artist Alaina Castillo is back with the danceable synthpop track “Sad Girls Always Finish First,” catering to her dreamy and emotional bedroom pop aesthetic. In the futuristic blue-hued video, we see frames of Castillo singing on top of a water surface – in one frame, she’s inside a metal circle, and in another, she’s sitting on what appears to be a secluded rock. Between the catchy chorus and the sprinkled Spanish phrases, the Texas native has created a fun bilingual bop that “sad girls” can happily vibe to. – Jeanette Hernandez
Yendruy Aquinx - “Vueltas”
When it comes to talent, the Dominican Republic possesses an embarrassment of riches. One of the newest names stirring buzz in the island underground is 18-year-old producer Yendruy Aquinx, who already released a mind-blowing mixtape back in Feb., expertly melding trap swagger and hyperpop zaniness. His latest offering comes with devastating new single “Vueltas,” which doubles down on his mumblecore flirtations while unspooling shaky ruminations on mental health over a hypnotic, bass-heavy beat. A major smoke and ponder vibe for the weekend. – Richard Villegas
IMMASOUL x KOFI - “NA PA TI”
Afro-Mexican artist IMMASOUL has linked up with famed Akron-born, Toronto-based rapper Kofi on “Na Pa Ti.” With added production flair offered by Rox Mills, the track fuses a sultry R&B base wrapped up with soft trap and dancehall-inspired beats that provides the perfect backdrop for sharing a sensual slow dance as entangled as the relationship it’s depicting. Detailing a complicated love, the song explores the depths of the desire of wanting to keep a relationship alive but knowing that one’s worth is most important and requires stepping away, but not without one last steamy dance to say goodbye. – Jeanette Diaz
Rosa Pistola x Hoz x Scarlett - “Loco”
Wide-eyed upon the novelties blooming from the Mexican underground club music and showing off an undoubtful knack to find left-field perreo tracks, the Mexican DJ Rosa Pistola joined rapper Hoz and producer Scarlett in her latest endeavor with French collective Couvre x Chefs. “Loco” is one of the most caustic, abrasive songs in the label’s last compilation. While producer Scarlett offers an amalgam of ethereal textures and creepy dembow beats, Hoz throws slapping lines from a somber Mexico City that echoes a narcocorrido atmosphere — and sets the trend. As a feverishly grim-reaper with a mic in his hands, he declares: “somos la moda.” — Felipe Maia
YEИDRY - “Ki-Ki”
After teasing her new single for a couple of weeks on social media, YEИDRY has finally dropped “Ki-Ki,” a contagious jam with a beat that has one foot in Africa and the other in the Caribbean. With this party track, the Dominican-Italian artist once again shows her restless heart when it comes to trying out genres, going into rap mode with a splash of dembow on her delivery while giving us a hell of an earworm with the chorus. But she still has time to showcase her vocals on a beautiful break before dropping right back to the dancefloor. – Cheky
FEER - “SOLO”
After listening to “SOLO,” you won’t be too surprised to learn that San Antonio newcomer FEER is part of El Dusty’s label Americano and that the track was produced by the veteran party-starter. The ode about finding yourself on your own, “SOLO” features El Dusty’s signature multigenre-bursting mashup that, in this case, borrows from cumbia and dancehall rhythms, the cadence of corridos tumbados, and the explosiveness of EDM. Yet this is undeniably FEER’s show, and he brings the heat with charisma and energy, giving us an early glimpse at an amazing talent behind the mic. — Marcos Hassan
Yarge - “Cuerda Floja”
The Venezuelan singer-songwriter Yarge released “Cuerda Floja,” a sensual reggaeton pop track that describes a relationship falling apart. By harmonizing phrases that highlight both her vocal range and her heart-wrenching lyrics, the emerging Gen-Z singer proves that she has the capability of executing a banger. We can’t wait to see how her career unfolds, especially when “Cuerda Floja” gives us a taste of her vocal capacity. – Jeanette Hernandez
Underground System - “He Said She Said”
Whether political philosopher Emma Goldman actually said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution,” or not is still up for debate, there’s no doubt that New York City’s Underground System wholly embodies that vibe. The group combines elements of afrobeats, electronic and classical music, and NYC’s historied art-punk underground to craft an energetic and irresistible sound that’s sure to convert any room into an impromptu dance floor. The playful, disco-leaning “He Said She Said” (led by Latin-Grammy-winning flutist, vocalist, and percussionist Domenica Fossati) is the soundtrack to the Tinder and Grindr era mismatches and chaotic dating show-like mishaps. Their latest 12” EP, Into the Fire, is out May 6 on Razor-N-Tape. – Nayeli Portillo
Mengers - “Automático”
As we inch closer to the apocalypse every day, sometimes you need to chuckle to keep from crying. Mexico City’s fuzziest kids, Mengers, apply that logic on sardonic new single “Automático,” lampooning our droning, automated echo chamber of a world with delightful post-punkish gusto. Following their pounding 2021 full-length debut Golly, the prospect of more face-smashing tunes with a newfound danceable bend makes their forthcoming LP i/O one of the year’s most exciting late releases. – Richard Villegas
Tangowhiskyman - “Head Full Of Voices”
Tangowhiskyman take us on a psychedelic journey through our own minds on “Head Full of Voices.” The Dominican alternative group brings together the starkness of alternative rock illuminated by brighter notes of woozy psychedelia that shoot us off into a mind-expanding and trippy journey. Fuzzed guitars, spacey synth keys and soft but vibrant percussions, provide an otherworldly peacefully calm setting for lyricism that travels inside a mind of crowded and chopped up thoughts. – Jeanette Diaz
Mandale Mecha - “The Fever”
“The Fever” is the slick, sassy opening track of Mandale Mecha’s first album, Maracuyá Azedo. Thanks to an enticing combination of grinding kicks and cyclical riffs, the Argentinian-Brazilian group delivers a track that goes from rasterinha tones (the slow-paced version of baile funk) to new-age reggaeton. On top of that, Singer Michu Mendez’s frenzy filtered vocals sneak in the overlayed guitars shaping out an early 2000s vibes. It’s something fans of the likes of M.I.A. or Azealia Banks would enjoy. — Felipe Maia