We are living through an era where more music is available to us than ever – whether it be via social media, streaming, or apps. But despite this wealth of options, it can be difficult to cut through the industry hype, the homogenizing algorithms, and find something new and exciting.
In our weekly Nuevo Noise playlist, you’ll find some of our favorite releases of the week – from the most exciting new names in urbano, to the burgeoning SoCal neo-Chicano soul wave, and everything in between.
Consider this your genre-diverse guide to the most exciting releases from rising Latinx artists each week. Follow our Nuevo Noise playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
1
KORDELYA - “s a l u d o s”
Mexican-American artist KORDELYA shared Mal Hecha, her first full-length last week, and the slick “s a l u d o s” is among its standout tracks. Torn between R&B and electro-pop, the song shows a resigned KORDELYA coming to terms with the idea of letting time erase the love she has for someone who’s already taken. It’s a bittersweet moment many will find too familiar. -Cheky
2
Torneo de Verano - “Vuelve Nuestro Amor?”
Argentine garage punks Torneo de Verano have quietly dropped a new EP titled Poemas de Barrio, polishing the sweet adolescent fidgeting of their self-titled debut with cleaner melodies geared towards tugging at heartstrings and soundtracking spontaneous adventures. The album’s centerpiece might be “Vuelve Nuestro Amor?,” a hopeful prayer to rekindle a romance that has already fizzled, banking on the magical effervescence of summer to set the perfect mood. -Richard Villegas
3
Ghetto Kumbé - “Vamo a Darle Duro”
Ahead of their forthcoming album and ZZK debut coming out later this year, Colombian Afrofuturistic outfit Ghetto Kumbé dropped their new single “Vamo a Darle Duro.” It brings the indigenous gaita to a banging Afro-inspired club track that is actually a call for resistance in a world steered by social injustice and the ever expanding gap between classes. -Cheky
4
Vyctoria - “Abrahel”
Quietly, Vyctoria have become one of the most intense and important bands in the Mexico City underground, booking their own tours across Central America, Europe and the U.S., as well as recording with post-rock don Efrim Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor fame. However, this is the only quiet aspect of the Mexico City band. New album Vav’s centerpiece “Abrahel” is 16 minutes of transcendence, a slow-developing experimental opus that goes from moody ambiance to monolithic headbanging, bridging the worlds of experimental music, ambient and stoner metal in one gigantic pack. -Marcos Hassan
5
SoulBrigada - “Help”
Panama’s Resense records brings us a new edit that bridges music history for decades in a single track, demonstrating how the same sounds can be a constant expression of different individuals. Based on a Midwestern soul track that was relegated to obscurity back in 1969, it gained a new lease of life through the British Northern Soul movement a few years later. Now, the stomping track has been redone by Germany-based SoulBrigada, bringing out the boogaloo-influences from this intensely rhythmic track of funky guitars, melodic bass and unstoppable vocals. Good music can withstand the passage of time and start a party anywhere. -Marcos Hassan
6
Las Nubes - "Tararear"
Released as part of a new split EP alongside fellow Floridians Palomino Blond, “Tararear” finds Las Nubes as eager to thrash as ever, taking their sunny garage riffs into heavier, sludgier territory. With riffs blaring and delightful bursts of vocal harmonies breaking up the fuzzy wall of sound, singer-guitarist Ale Campos drones her way through a hazy song about a rapidly changing world that seems to slip through her fingers—making “Tararear” an impressively prescient release. -Richard Villegas
7
ForyFive & Speak (Mexa trap remix) - “Lavanderia"
I’ve been wearing out this remix of Speak’s excellent “Lavandería” with his Mexico City studiomates Richi Boy y Ketz Ortega of trap duo ForyFive. Lyrics make the most of the artists’ Los Angeles-CDMX handshake and one refrain of the Wild West track—really, instrumentals sounding like someone’s about to ask the saloonkeeper for a tequila neat—took on a dark new meaning with the institution of our current hygiene regimen. Wash and then rinse! -Caitlin Donohue
8
Tayhana - "Amarte Azul"
It’s been commented on, the fact that this multi-week sentence in our homes may well result in a wave of angst-provoked artistry. Argentinian producer Tayhana is one of the first to report back with such a “encerrón club” track, which summons Selena and places the singer within an accelerating spectacular, her shiny cumbia chords gradually subsumed by urgent percussions, and reminding that regardless of how we’re spending this time, an underlying sense of purpose cannot be left behind. -Caitlin Donohue
9
Pedropiedra - “Abuela Come On” (ft. Gepe)
In the middle of Pedropiedra’s Cristián Heyne-produced new album ALÓ! we can find “Abuela Come On” beaming with freshness in every direction. The Chilean singer/songwriter’s latest collaboration with his musical brother Gepe is vintage in references but undoubtedly current in sound, and recurs to black humor to teach us, like a wise grandpa, a valuable lesson: “el amor se va, los celos no.” -Cheky
10
Lynn de Quebrada & Lechuga Zafiro - "Oração"
Though delayed by you know what, the compilation NAAFI put together in honor of 10 years of disrupting the sound of Latin American club is on its way, a compendium of beloved hits and brand-new tracks from its 10 most active members. The lead single is perhaps the project’s most anticipated cut, the label’s relatively new associate Lechuga Zafiro building one of his post-industrial, nature-centric terrariums for the devotions of revolutionary Brazilian emcee Linn Da Quebrada. -Caitlin Donohue
11
Gativideo - “El Baile de Elvis”
Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Gativideo have taken a now-classic track from Las Ligas Menores and made it into their own image. Where the original Ligas song is a twee power pop love song that comes across as awkward but cute, the Gativideo version flips it into seduction mode, dressing it in velour and Wayfarer sunglasses at night. The bassline dances around a soul groove established by the interaction of the drums, guitars and horns, making it smooth as hell. -Marcos Hassan
12
Dancing Ninja - "Blue Carbon"
Honduran producer Juan José Pérez Alvarez has built steady local buzz as part of atmospheric indie-pop bands like Boreal Scala and Sui E Nois. However, in the interest of exploring the deepest chasms of electronic possibility he fashioned the moniker of Dancing Ninja, launching a series of house and ambient influenced singles starting at the top of 2020. His latest release is “Blue Carbon,” a cocktail of swirling synths, groovy bass lines and saturated digital beats that might transport you to a pill-laden dance floor at a storied 90s nightclub. Don’t worry about getting in, Dancing Ninja is spinning so we’re all on the list. -Richard Villegas