10 New Songs to Listen to by Chuwi, Los Menor3s, Dei V & More

Chuwi have had enough—and they make political exhaustion move. On “Máquina,” the focus track from their debut album Libertad, the family-centered group turns generations of frustration into a call to dismantle the systems keeping Puerto Rico stuck. Timba and Caribbean rhythms collide with an unexpectedly saucy touch of rock, giving the reckoning both swing and bite. Shady contracts, corruption, endless election cycles, and nearly a century of the same battles feed a defiant refrain: if the machine can’t be shut down, it must be destroyed. Puerto Rico’s Capitolio looms behind the lyric video, rooting that anger in a specific place even as its breaking point resonates far beyond the island. Closing their Pan, Tierra, Libertad trilogy, the album imagines a future where Puerto Ricans thrive on their own terms. Chuwi aren’t offering another patch-up job. They’re ready to pull the plug. –Jeanette Diaz

With a brand-new mixtape out now, South London-Guatemalan artist Gabriel Dinero deftly blends abstract electronic soundscapes with indie instrumentation. Mala Hierba Nunca Muere is Dinero’s first full-length mixtape, offering more than his catalog of EPs. Moving between pop, alternative indie, and electronic music, the mixtape uses rich textures and thoughtful songwriting to explore love, memory, and the pair’s inner contradictions. No song on the project captures this intimacy through ambitious production more fully than “Dificil,” which balances an eccentric drum loop with some of the dreamiest textures. —Alan Baez

Argentine pop knows the power of camp, from the kitschy sweetness of Miranda! to the subversive bimbo anthems of Six Sex. On “Concheta,” singer, producer, model, and actress Faraonika puts that power to work, skewering the exploitation of women’s bodies and its hold on the collective psyche. Auto-tuned over a thumping club beat, deliberately banal lines like “culo veo, culo quiero” and “quiero, quiero, quiero más / solo importa el deseo” reduce desire to an endless appetite for more. The Belier-produced video gives that appetite a grotesque visual language: casino imagery, cam-girl shots, towering wigs, and face tapes. Amid the spectacle, Faraonika makes dysmorphia and society’s gluttony impossible to look away from. —Richard Villegas

Twenty years after its debut album, Salsa Con Conciencia, New York City’s La Excelencia returns to one of its earliest singles with fresh fire. “La Lucha” celebrates the milestone by bringing the orchestra’s past back to the dance floor. Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning producer Juan “Mr. Sonic” Losada helms the reworking, with acclaimed flutist Eddy Zervigón joining the ensemble. The result is less a nostalgic look back than a vibrant reminder of how much life the music still holds. —Juan J. Arroyo

The everyday takes an uncanny turn on Hidrogenesse‘s “La Jarra.” The Catalan duo’s latest preview of its upcoming album “Variaciones Pombo,” inspired by poet Álvaro Pombo’s extensive body of work, draws on a fragment from his fourth poetry book, “Protocolos para la rehabilitación del firmamento.” Though the text comes from one of Pombo’s most positive eras, the song gives it a haunting cast. An expansive, experimental arrangement unfolds through unexpected chord changes, while a flavorful beat and dozens of melodic embellishments keep it in motion. It’s praise of the quotidian made strange: playful, engrossing, and just a little spooky. —Cheky

Tomorrow can wait. On “All Night,” Dei V and Rauw Alejandro leave responsibility on read and trade it for perreo, chemistry, and intimacy until sunrise. The Puerto Rican artists pair reggaeton and trap with sleek electronic textures, setting Dei V’s streetwise edge against Rauw’s polished, futuristic flair. As they call up their love interest, the track’s club-ready pulse makes their no-curfew agenda clear. “All Night” leads Dei V’s new 17-track album, FLAVORZ PACK, which divides his evolving sound into three sonic flavors: Chocolate, Licorice, and Paleta. Heavyweight collaborations round out a project built to showcase his range. —Natasha Melina Argudo

Los Menor3s don’t try to pin love down on “Guacamayas.” They give it room to dance. The Venezuelan-American trio’s latest track surrenders to that uncontrollable feeling—and takes flight wherever it leads. Big Bowe, Sheba, and Nego build a setting as warm as a Miami sunset from processed percussion, flutes, laid-back synths, and string accents. They honor the musicality of those who came before them, kin or otherwise, while bringing a stylish, flirty confidence all their own. The test for the one is simple: “no matter how many times we kiss, the feeling is the same.” Between that certainty and lyrics about winning a mother’s approval, Los Menor3s sound well on their way to finding love—and making listeners fall for them, too. – La Morra Lisa

More than two decades later, Andrés Cepeda‘s “Tengo Ganas” still has something to say—and a new rhythm to say it in. For “Tengo Ganas 2.0,” Cepeda enlists Maluma to trade the original’s acoustic-ballad feel for bachata. The Colombian artists have taken different career paths, but their shared gift for a passionate serenade makes this meeting feel natural. “I love being able to present this new version of my classic ‘Tengo Ganas 2.0’ alongside an artist whom I love and deeply admire, who is also a global representative of a new generation, and with whom I share a love for romantic music,” Cepeda said of the collaboration. He’s sung his signature track hundreds of times; here, a new partner and a different pulse give a familiar declaration fresh life. —Jeanette Hernandez

On “Hardrive,” FX O Gênio and Ramaciote erase the distance between the street and the dance floor. Vintage synths, funky basslines, and bright guitar riffs channel ’90s house through Brazil’s urban soundscape, capturing the hustle and spontaneity of neighborhood shops and late-night parties. The third single from their collaborative project PRESSÃO! pairs old-school electronic grooves with contemporary flows: nostalgic in its touchstones, unmistakably Brazilian in its character. It’s Música Periférica Popular Brasileira in motion, bringing global club influences into conversation with the rhythms and realities of Brazil’s less privileged communities. –Júlia Henn

Tzompantli is typically known as a death/doom metal band that plays music as brutal as the Aztec skull rack it’s named after. But on Temilotzin, the Pomona band trades growls and distortion pedals for acoustic guitars and clean chants, leaning into Pre-Hispanic influences. The title track captures this new setup: a mix of folk rock and ancient music that keeps a chilling edge. It translates their darkness and anger into a different kind of darkness. Released on Indigenous Day, this is a reminder that ancestral influences can become fuel for contemporary music. — Marcos Hassan