50 Best Songs of the Year by Latino Artists

1

Bad Bunny & Tainy - “Callaita”

A choir of seagulls soaring in the ocean breeze opens “Callaita,” almost as if Bad Bunny is sending a transmission from the universe’s most zenned-out vacation. With the help of his frequent co-conspirator, the brilliant producer Tainy, Bad Bunny strikes a measured balance between party Benito and in-his-feelings Benito, spinning a surprisingly evocative “good girl gone bad” narrative in the sing-songy lyrics.

“Working with Benito (Bad Bunny) is always something special, so when I created this track for my album, I knew he was the man for it. Then he wrote ‘Callaita’ and we both knew immediately that it was a hit. It’s definitely my favorite track that we have worked on together,” Tainy says in the song’s press release.

Still, the main draw is the mellow beat, which stays addictive while making you crave sol, playa y alcohol. –Julyssa Lopez

2

Rosalía - “Con Altura (feat. J. Balvin, El Guincho)

“La Rosalía!”

C’mon, you know you’re still saying it. And why wouldn’t you be? After the gargantuan success of Rosalía’s trap-flamenco sophomore album, El Mal Querer, her chart-topping pop swerve seemed practically inevitable. With El Guincho still by her side and swaggy bars from global reggaeton superstar J. Balvin, “Con Altura” rapidly evolved into an endlessly quotable and deliciously posable slice of zeitgeist pop. -Richard Villegas

3

Girl Ultra - “Ella Tu Y Yo”

Girl Ultra has firmly assumed her position at the helm of the Mexican R&B sound, so where is she guiding the boat? “Ella Tú Y Yo” gave us an idea of where the course has been set, en route to the lovely Nuevos Aires album that she released toward this year’s close. This track’s ascendant staccatos showed the singer finding ways to vocally experiment within the gauzy, retro trappings her music often assumes. Accompanying visuals confirmed that, with the help of Mexico City’s fiercely creative video and style creatives, Mariana de Miguel is well-deserving of the captain’s hat. -Caitlin Donohue

4

Los Retros - “Someone To Spend Time With”

Los Retros burst onto the scene with a tender love ballad reminiscent of the Saturday morning cleaning tunes many grew up listening to. “Someone To Spend My Time With” has its DNA firmly rooted in this nostalgic Latin pop sound but opens up a whole new world of possibilities with the 19-year-old Mauri Tapia at its helm. -Eduardo Cepeda

5

Helado Negro - “Running”

When Helado Negro first released “Running,” a weightless piano reverie that cradles listeners warmly in its depths, he kept the true meaning elusive. “I’ve buried sentiments and personal histories,” he said at the time. “Most of it is just for me and some for you.” Even with its ambiguities, the song is as soothing as a whispered mantra – and Helado Negro’s tender delivery over celestial piano chords feels like an invitation to drift off and detach from uncertainty for a while. -Julyssa Lopez

6

Bad Bunny & J. Balvin - “La Canción”

The oracles of YouTube playlists long foretold the day J. Balvin and Bad Bunny would finally come together to deliver an epic manifesto of sunny dance floor salvation. And while the blockbuster release of Oasis delivered on most of that promise, we were also delighted to find more than radio-friendly reggaeton therein. “La Canción” is easily the album’s most memorable and lyrically relatable high point (just ask the gyrating, weeping masses.) With its guttural nuggets of romantic mourning, it’s a track that will be remembered as a break-up anthem for the ages. -Richard Villegas

7

Natanael Cano - “El Drip”

One of corridos urbano’s leading voices, Mexican singer Natanael Cano released the perfect anthem for the emerging movement. As the song’s title, “El Drip,” suggests, the 18-year-old spits with swagger about being covered in icy chains and brands like Supreme and Versace, all while partying hard with lean and herb. This isn’t the kind of corridos your parents grew up on. Cano’s got “the drip” to keep taking his corridos tumbados to cool and exciting places. -Lucas J. Villa

8

Tei Shi - “Even If It Hurts (ft. Blood Orange)”

“Even If It Hurts,” the third single from Tei Shi’s stunning 2019 album, La Linda, finds her collaborating once again with Blood Orange, and together they created a vaporous R&B daydream where they explore the intrinsic connection between love and pain, and the potential cost of vulnerability with another person. Tei Shi asks us to embrace what comes our way on the path to evolution, both good and bad. -Cheky

9

KAINA - “Could Be a Curse Feat. Sen Morimoto”

One of our favorite Chicago R&B singers links up with Sen Morimoto for a contemplative and dreamy anthem sure to stay on your playlist well past the dreary winter months. -Eduardo Cepeda

10

Combo Chimbita - “Ahomale”

Replicating on-stage magic in a recording studio is not always easy, but Combo Chimbita’s 2019 tropical futurism epic, “Ahomale,” made abundantly clear the feat is entirely possible. The album’s title track is nothing short of a showstopper, weaving monumental guitar power chords into Carolina Olivero’s rousing ancestral wails that build steadily like a tempest and release with all the might of a dozen Mars Volta singles. –Richard Villegas

11

Romeo Santos Ft. El Chaval de la Bachata - “Canalla”

We’ve long known Romeo Santos as the king of pop bachata, but with the release of his 2019 album, Utopia, Santos enlisted the help of many of bachata’s OGs – providing the world with a glimpse into the sound that influenced him to begin with. “Canalla” kicks off the album with the kind of severity the genre deserves. -Eduardo Cepeda

12

Speak - “99 Blunts”

Speak called “99 Blunts” an “ode to late-night stoner paranoia” and a collision of L.A. and Mexican worlds over “red cups and restless aggression.” His descriptions couldn’t be more precise; “99 Blunts” sounds like it’s drunk off adrenaline and delirium, yet Speak’s crisp rhymes only get more nimble and urgent as the track progresses. His flow here is formidable, with each word rolling out of his mouth like pebbles tumbling down a steep mountain, capturing the agility of his 2019 album, “Singularity.” -Julyssa Lopez

13

Daymé Arocena - "Oshún"

Part of a trio of songs, Daymé Arocena wrote when she was a teenager and finally released this year on her latest album Sonocardiogram, “Oshún” stands out for its exquisite choral arrangements and ever-morphing structure. The Cuban singer plays with both the occidental and African components of her Santería spirituality to pay tribute to the orisha the song is named after. Switching between Spanish and Yoruba, “Oshun,” like its namesake, overflows with feminine energy. -Cheky

14

iLe - "Tu Rumba"

Always paying homage to the boricua culture that raised her, former Calle 13 member iLe made many traditional moves on 2019’s lauded Almadura – but a quieter track, “Tu Rumba,” especially stands out as an underrated grasp at her roots. Recalling the Afro-Indigenous ritual of bomba music, “Tu Rumba” plays with the mysticism of love and a culture’s mixed rhythms. “No sé si tu rumba vaya con mi mambo / Pero tú tienes lo que estoy necesitando,” she hints, drawing her lover as the beat of the rumba and herself as mambo, all while humming over a slow bomba drumbeat. It’s a work of true fluidity; a knowing nod at what it means to exist across Caribbean identity today. -Jenzia Burgos

15

Fuego - “Dame Banda”

Fuego and producer Sango invented trapchata with “Se Me Nota” in 2015, and since then, he’s dropped two more requinto-laden bangers: 2018’s “Envidia” and “Dame Banda” from his most recent album, You’re Welcome. Treat yourself to this anthem if you haven’t already. -Eduardo Cepeda

16

Ozuna - “Cama Vacia”

One of Puerto Rican superstar Ozuna’s best singles didn’t make it on his new Nibiru album. “Cama Vacía” is a standalone release that also stands out as one of his most emotional tracks. Ozuna tells the story of a woman who is initially hurt by a breakup that needed to happen. In his moving performance, Ozuna lives through her as she finds freedom outside of the toxic relationship. The bed might be empty, but Ozuna’s heart is still full on this radiant reggaeton bop. -Lucas J. Villa

17

T3R Elemento - “En Boca De Todos”

In the past few years, T3R Elemento, the band led by Mexican-American singer Kristopher Nava, have been making waves with their corridos verdes. On their latest album, Good Vibes Buenas Vibras, the guys revisit the band’s come up on “En Boca de Todos,” an ode to the hard work they put in to get where they are now. Nava and company cheer to their success with a cold beer while still keeping people talking about the way they’re refreshing regional Mexican music. -Lucas J. Villa

18

Bad Bunny x El Alfa - “La Romana”

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny brings the heat on “La Romana,” a beast of a banger named after the city in the Dominican Republic. He teams up with rapper El Alfa to mix Latin trap music with Dominican dembow. El Conejo Malo basks in the tropical production at first, before a howling wolf heralds a frenetic shift in sound – one where El Alfa fans the flames of the “fuego” in his verses. The two artists put the city of La Romana on the map with Latin music’s most lit collaboration. -Lucas J. Villa

19

Melii - "No Hard Feelings"

In 2017, Melii joined a cast of young artists holding down New York City’s rap scene – one that never died but only evolved to include perspectives like hers. The East Harlem native pens tracks that boast not only the hard shell of a city chick but also capture the heartbreak and vulnerability that’s hidden underneath. And on “No Hard Feelings,” the lead track off her MOTIONS EP, Melii does it all with a surprisingly moody, singsong flow – cementing her as one of this year’s most versatile rappers, period. -Jenzia Burgos

20

Vicente Garcia - “Ahi Ahi”

Undoubtedly, 2019 cemented Vicente García’s role of global ambassador of the mellow sounds of bachata alongside Juan Luis Guerra, Romeo Santos and Prince Royce. Candela, which was co-produced by Visitante, is a continuation of the love letter to traditional rhythms from Dominican Republic that he introduced us to in A La Mar. The synth-filled “Ahi Ahi” is a vivid testimony of the globalization and evolution of the sound bachata for new and older generations to enjoy. -Joel Moya

21

Niña Lobo - “Decís Que No”

I’m not sure how it happened, but sad music became the leading genre during the later part of this decade. However, it normally meant songs you could hear at the club or guitar music that delved extremely into those feelings. Somewhere in the vast space between these sounds lies Niña Lobo, a band that knows their way around a memorable tune, some simple yet catchy riffs and plenty of regrets to soak their melodies in. Elite representatives of the Uruguayan power-pop sound that is secretly becoming a signature genre of their country at the moment, Niña Lobo delivers a highlight from their debut EP, Migrar, with honesty, a recount of a breakup where neither of the parties involved wants to stay together, resulting in a catchy and melancholic anthem to mutter to yourself whenever heartbreak bangs on your bedroom door. -Marcos Hassan

22

Omar Apollo - “Friends”

If you’ve ever fallen in love with a friend, then Omar Apollo’s titular single off his Friends EP will feel familiar, if not bittersweet. The 22-year-old acoustic darling spins a sparse ballad of acceptance, cooing “I can’t pretend that I don’t feel this,” at the start of the track – that is, before things fall out into a pool of regret for not acting sooner. Making Apollo’s gentle ode, during its finest moments, an invitation to his listeners: Don’t sit on those platonic-turned-romantic feelings for too long. You don’t want to stay up listening to Apollo’s song thinking, same. But let’s be real. Many of us will relate at some point, making “Friends” a song to come back to even after year’s end. -Jenzia Burgos

23

Eladio Carrion x Bad Bunny - “Kemba Walker”

In an urbano world full to the brim with often unnecessary collabs, remixes and posse cuts, Eladio Carrion and Bad Bunny’s “Kemba Walker” feels fresh, unforced and essential. The two boricua rappers take turns comparing themselves to NBA star Kemba Walker, while the intoxicating beat and references to Jimmy Neutron make this one of the standout urbano songs of the year. -Eduardo Cepeda

24

Guaynaa - “Rebota”

The unlikely reggaeton blockbuster “ReBoTa” had little to distinguish itself, besides breakout Puerto Rican emcee Juan Carlos Santiago’s frankly lustful couplets and the song’s now-iconic opening call to mamarre. And we’ve processed the fact that Guaynaa has cultivated a pooka-shell-wearing persona that, at first glance, resembles nothing so much as the comic relief f*ckboi neighbor in a 1990s gringo sitcom. Despite it all, we loved his “ReBoTa” like a love song in 2019. Who among us did not drop everything – focus, keys, metaphorical panties – each time its deceptively basic-bitch beat exerted its stranglehold on our perreo-flayed psyches? -Caitlin Donohue

25

Boogarins - “Sombra Ou Dúvida”

Music fans know that one of the most exciting things about following a band closely is the way you get to hear them take their sound to new levels of greatness, sometimes taking slightly odd routes to get there. For Boogarins, transcending their beginnings as a duo from Goiania, Brazil to touring the world as one of the most celebrated psych bands of the current age, it would have been easy to keep up with their warped yet warm electric guitar sound and reap the glory, but “Sombra Ou Dúvida” had other plans. The song follows the essence of what made Boogarins such an inspired band around the world, yet delves into electronics and samples along with their guitars in just the right way to give their sound a spin that few could have foreseen. Turns out it was just what they needed to establish themselves as next level purveyors of psych. -Marcos Hassan

26

Sech Feat. Darrel - “Otro Trago”

With reggaetoneros cashing in on the single ladies left and right (see: Lunay’s “Soltera” or Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s “La Cancion”), this breakout track by Panama’s Sech was the most convincing, if not genuine, summer hit for all the sad boys and girls out there. What starts out as a hushed picture of a heartbroken girl drinking alone at the club, breaks out into a thumping opportunity for “Olvidando la pena” and busting up the dancefloor. Who ever said heartache has to keep you down? -Jenzia Burgos

27

Ambar Lucid - “Mar De Llanto”

Ambar Lucid’s brand of quiet dream pop shows incredible control and restraint – something that’s particularly impressive for an artist who is still wrapping up her teenage years. But “Mar De Llanto” is like a dam breaking; she abandons her reflexive self-containment and instead thrusts her emotions to the forefront of the music. The result is a commanding power ballad – one of Lucid’s strongest moments yet – that proves just how much she’s grown into her voice and her lyricism. -Julyssa Lopez

28

Cuco - “Keeping Tabs (feat. Suscat0)”

Though this slick cut from Cuco’s debut album may seem like a far cry from the floaty bedroom trip-hop that put him on the map, it maintains his laid-back essence. Cuco guides us through a psychedelic sonic wonderland, swapping verses with newcomer Suscat0 and bolstered by a lively beat that channels SZA’s “Go Gina” on LSD. The equally zonked-out video, a tribute to L.A. foo culture, also highlights Cuco’s Chicanx roots, with angels and demons playing Lotería in an ethereal, translucent landscape. This is the sadboi progenitor at his most fun-loving, light-hearted and, dare I say it, happiest? One thing’s for sure, and pun intended – this is one hell of a trip. –E.R Pulgar

29

Femina - "Arriba"

As part of a trio of recently released singles off their forthcoming Perlas & Conchas album, “Arriba” is a triumph for Fémina’s evolving sound. The Patagonian sisters have always blurred genre lines, known for placing their speedy hip-hop-adjacent verses atop traditional Andean rhythms. On their latest, however, Fémina is getting even more experimental: “Arriba” stands out with its tempered harmonies, piecing together surreal images of rooting oneself into the earth, shedding one’s skin and being birthed anew. It’s a perfect message for Fémina’s fresh return, and for our collective farewell to the year. -Jenzia Burgos

30

Jessie Reyez - “Far Away”

Jessie Reyez didn’t set out to write a song about family separations; the words just floated into her head like a special kind of alchemy. She’d planned to make “Far Away” a meditation on a difficult romance, but with the line “the government wants us to break up,” it shifted into a wrenching portrait of love in times of terror under the Trump administration. Through her raw vocals, she translates the pain of individuals torn apart by I.C.E. and the ache of their uncertain futures. -Julyssa Lopez

31

Los Wálters - “Al Revés (feat. Andrea Cruz)”

“Al Revés” dropped on Valentine’s Day, its lyrics a pleasingly poetic tribute to an ex-love who still inspires. The track came in the middle of a hot streak for Puerto Rican synth-pop duo Los Wálters, who despite not having released an album since 2016’s Isla Disco, were riding high off of singles like “Calma” and “Fragancia.” On “Al Revés,” boricua vocalist Andrea Cruz floats over the pair’s disco sun-flare of a beat and delivers lines that, in a year of insanely bitter, high profile break-up anthems, were a nice hat-tip to emotional subtlety. -Caitlin Donohue

32

Dinamarca - “Prins”

Throughout his career, Dinamarca has proven that he can make a club smasher with his eyes closed, but with his last full-length Fantasilandia, he showed some more versatility. “Prins” is undoubtedly inspired by dancehall, but he dims it down and decorates it with jangly guitar plucks that move its sound closer to dream-pop. Summer doesn’t have to evoke a wild party; it can also be a beachside meditation. -Cheky

33

Silva de Alegría - “Primavera en la Guerra del Sonido”

Whistles, banjos, tambourines and the kitchen sink – Silva de Alegría’s effervescent third studio album Primavera en la Guerra del Sonido plays out like a serendipitous stroll through a Dr. Seuss cinematic universe. The album’s undisputed centerpiece is its title track, which opens on timid Kermit The Frog-esque banjo plucks that rapidly shapeshift into a symphonic rapture – perfect for making your heart flutter and stoking your cravings for green eggs and ham. -Richard Villegas

34

Tatiana Hazel - “Let Me Go”

Chicago’s Tatiana Hazel continued to prove her versatility this year, and nowhere more than on single “Let Me Go.” The slick pop jam may have been literally intended to encourage a lover to loosen the ties, but it served the double function of advising all those with set expectations for Hazel’s music, to drop them. The woman who started her career strumming a guitar in her own bedroom on YouTube is more fully assuming her role as a reggaeton-synth-pop chimera with every move she makes. -Caitlin Donohue

35

Yawners - “La Escalera”

The dream of the ‘90s seems to be coming alive with every passing second. We’re at the point culturally where things are getting mixed into things that people perceive as what happened during that decade. While much of the rock music made during that time carried the “slacker” tag, fans of true blue skronky guitar and punchy drums know that the screams dripped with passion, something Yawners (talk about slacker rock with that name) are all too happy to remind us of. The Madrid-duo step up to the plate with angular rhythms, dissonant riffs, and a ripping chorus to deliver something passionate and vital with this track. In turn, it all makes “La Escalera” seem like so much fun, and boy, did we need fun sad music in 2019. -Marcos Hassan

36

Ñejo x Guaynaa - “Mi Leona”

Around the same time that Guaynaa’s massive hit “Rebota” began to pick up steam, another far less in-your-face anthem filled the air in San Juan. Ñejo and Guaynaa’s “Mi Leona” finds both emcees flexing their undeniably catchy bars, with a haunting backing sample giving the song a mysterious undertone. -Eduardo Cepeda

37

Cariño - “La Bajona”

Elefant Records signees Cariño had a fantastic year in 2019 in Spain, and part of it is thanks to their melancholic single “La Bajona.” “La Bajona” uses fiction and shoegaze-inflected pop instrumentation that builds up and up, imagining the consequences of being completely absorbed by a toxic relationship. It’s as heartbreaking as it sounds. -Cheky

38

Debit - “The Alphabet (feat Javier Estrada)”

Just when you thought tribal guarachero would be remembered as little more than an early decade musical meme, NAAFI affiliate Debit swooped into the club wearing her pointiest snakeskin boots and changed the game. On System, her criminally underrated follow up to last year’sAnimus, Debit unspools the rhythmic possibilities of tribal by juxtaposing it against pitch-black industrial atmospheres. On standout track “The Alphabet,” she links up with Monterrey producer Javier Estrada, delivering the record’s creeping backbone and conjuring images of Trent Reznor at the rodeo. -Richard Villegas

39

Belafonte Sensacional - “Epic Aris”

For long-time fans, Soy Piedra was not only an amazing showcase for Israel Ramírez’s songwriting and his cohorts’ ability to spread brutal, beautiful, folky, and bluesy melodic mayhem, but also represented a sideways step to no-nonsense music that was well worth hearing. Even for new converts of Belafonte Sensacional, “Epic Aris” managed to flip the script of what a lyrically-heavy artist could sound like. The track stretches a krautrock-like groove that shares DNA with blues-based rock urbano, complementing the surreal lyrics with plenty of Mexico City slang to give us a microcosmic version of what a nervous breakdown sounds like. -Marcos Hassan

40

C. Tangana, Alizzz - “Pa' Llamar Tu Atención ft. MC Bin Laden”

Pxxr Gvng’s long-term relationship with US trap artists notwithstanding, 2019 was the year Spanish urbano artists began to collaborate with their American continents’ counterparts in earnest. As they did everywhere else in the century’s second decade, genre lines proved immaterial in the exchange. Elsewhere, neo-flamenco chanteuse Rosalía found global reggaeton fame when she linked with Balvin, and on “Pa’ Llamar Tu Atención,” C. Tangana and his favored producer Alizz felt their baile funk roots. Relevancy was provided by MC Bin Laden, the genre’s most internationally facing “Tá Tranquilo, Tá Favorável” star of the last few years. The trio created a peacocking, percussive fusion that neatly encapsulates the year’s global pop takeover. -Caitlin Donohue

41

Katzù Oso - “Kiss U Better”

Katzù Oso makes earnest love ballads swirled in walls of synthesizers, all while avoiding delving too deeply into the electronic realm. “Kiss U Better” continues to showcase his growth as a songwriter following his 2018 EP Pastel – teasing us with what’s in store for 2020. -Eduardo Cepeda

42

Mariah - “Perreito”

“El nuevo orden,” Mariah purrs at the start of her summer throwback jam, “Perreito,” and with that, we know exactly where the 19-year-old reggaetonera stands. Miami-born and CubaRican-raised, Mariah is bringing the fire of female MCs, like OG Ivy Queen, back into the urbano spotlight. With its insistent earworm hook and breathy boss bitch energy, “Perreito” even got its own remix with hotshots Darell and Arcangel – but Mariah’s first big solo hit remains my definitive perreo sucio song of the summer para las mujeres. -Jenzia Burgos

43

Dayvi, Víctor Cárdenas - “Baila Conmigo ft. Kelly Ruiz”

Víctor Cárdenas and DJ Dayvi’s hemispheric phenomenon of a tribal house anthem was designed to seduce and destroy. “Imagínate, tú y yo en la playa,” coos vocalist Kelly Ruíz at the start of the track, cracking the lid on three minutes of the Colombian producers’ adrenaline-racing EDM-spun beats (whose most notable sound comes from Cuban-Andalusian guaracha). “Baila Conmigo” has a monster audio palette that pleased even circuit queens on the dance floor and inspired a remix by French producer Willy William of “Mi Gente” notoriety. DJs regularly dropped this track at their desired moment to detonate vibes, ensuring that the song would trigger tequila-scented party flashbacks for years to come. -Caitlin Donohue

44

Ms Nina feat. Tomasa del Real - "Y Dime"

This collaboration by the high priestesses of neoperreo is a melancholy dancefloor hymn for the loneliest and horniest among us. Ms Nina and Tomasa Del Real swap lovelorn verses about a transient love over a reggaeton beat, bemoaning the lovers who already feel absent laying in bed the morning after. Ms Nina offers her love on loan, knowing that as romantic as the connection might be, love can be as transitory as lust. “Hoy puedo contigo, mañana cualquiera,” Del Real purrs near the end of “Y Dime,” the core message of the song lodged in her slick, confident delivery. The track crackles to its victorious end, and these femme fatales leave one thing abundantly clear: what happens in a perreo sucio stays in a perreo sucio. -E.R. Pulgar

45

Devendra Banhart - "Abre Las Manos"

Devendra Banhart has made it a point to highlight the crisis in Venezuela throughout his long career, but he’s never been as pointed as he is on “Abre Las Manos.” The buoyant stand-out track from his 10th record, Ma, is bolstered by hushed vocals, an ethereal guitar and a floaty invitation to open one’s arms to the gifts of the universe – typical Banhart fare, until a dark turn to realism encroaches near the end. In the closing verse, Banhart sings “Mira el museo fue destrozado / Por gente que nunca habia entrado,” referencing Venezuela’s endless lines of people waiting for food, the kidnappings, the bloodshed and the destruction of cultural institutions. He directly asks, in the most pleasant way possible, how much more suffering the country must endure for something to change. Banhart invites the listener to look, to listen, to become aware – and the result is as chilling as it is beautifully haunting. -E.R. Pulgar

46

Girl Ultra feat. Cuco - "DameLove"

In this slinky cut from latest record Nuevos Aires, CDMX’s Girl Ultra and sadboi supreme Cuco swap verses over a slow bass and lazy guitar. This sleepy stoner love story attempts to capture the sexy ambiguity and butterflies that come with new love. “There’s something about you, something,” the pair purrs over the beat, ending the sonic flirtation with Girl Ultra offering to smoke us out and “watch the Simpsons or something.” Honestly, count us in. -E.R. Pulgar

47

August Eve - “Know Better”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwkmuMLGzNw

August Eve lays the chilled-out melancholia thick on “Know Better.” A sultry hymn to heartbroken healing that reflects on the end of a relationship, the dark pop chanteuse from Los Angeles’ haunting voice is as much an invocation of those uncertain feelings as it is a balm to smooth them over. She sings “Maybe when it’s over / I can get you out of my head” on the second verse, whispering regret over things unsaid and honoring a complicated emotion that has passed through the head and heart of anyone that’s had to pick up the pieces and start over. -E.R. Pulgar

48

Divino Niño - “Coca Cola”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebkmBi3v_0E

Chicago quartet Divino Niño knocked it out of the park with their third album Foam, and its second single “Coca Cola” can help us understand why. The song is a psych-pop success, immediately creating a bubble around us where we can fantasize about the life we’ve always wanted. But the track also delivers the needle that bursts it, giving us a wake-up call to go out and make our dreams come true. -Cheky

49

Jackie Mendoza - “Seahorse”

Through her amazing run of singles in 2019, Jackie Mendoza reminded us that indie music could be as weird as it could be catchy. A highlight of said run, “Seahorse” made the most with both sides of the equation that worked so well for Mendoza, using underwater-like sounds, pop sensibilities and experimental blendings of sound to present herself to us at her most emotive yet refined; a mini-opera of sorts where so much happens in the mere two and a half minutes of the track’s duration. Referencing pop, chillwave and modern psych, Mendoza seems to be on a mission to build chamber music for our times by frying mini-disks in a bonfire. -Marcos Hassan

50

Fat Joe & Cardi B - "YES"

The worlds of hip-hop and Latin trap collide on Fat Joe’s “Yes” with Cardi B and Anuel AA. Worked around a sample of the salsa music classic “Aguanilé,” the rappers take turns flexing their fame, fortunes, and the effs that they’re fresh out of on the track. In English, Fat Joe and Cardi (in her “La Caldi” persona) lyrically go in, while Anuel tears into the collaboration with a frosty guest verse filled with his signature “Brrrr’s.” Is there a lot going on here? Yes. Is it amazing, though? YES. -Lucas J. Villa