Photo by Edgar Nuñez.
This is a weekly compilation of bite-sized song and EP reviews from our music writers. Discover new favorites, read nuanced criticism of the week’s hottest releases, and more. Some of the featured artists this week include El Gran Poder de Diosa, Yarge, and Helado Negro. Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
Dominican fusion ensemble El Gran Poder de Diosa has unveiled a brand new single titled “El Remedio,” metabolizing anxieties of a world in crisis into a healing elixir for weary hearts. The Fernando Rivas-directed clip captures the song’s contrasting themes of joy and sadness through euphoric bouts of dance and ritual communion, underscoring ancestral wisdom as a perennial guiding light. – Richard Villegas
On “Mas De Ti,” Venezuelan singer Yargelis Ruiz (aka Yarge) eases in by saying she’s got a lot on her mind and plenty to tell you. It’s a confession delivered with soft-spoken assurance and a sense of knowing that getting that “something” off of your chest will set you free. Yarge powers through the club-ready, dance pop-charged track with a skillful range and seals it off with a lovestruck yet feel-good hook: “Solo quiero mas de ti.” – Nayeli Portillo
After a powerful 2021 debut led by the single “Putaria 2000,” Rio’s Puterrier comes back with “Neurose de Novinha” — another Brazilian grime stormer. This time, Puterrier shares the mic with Raro, an up-and-coming bar-spitter bred in Brazil’s most tropical city. The duo delivers a sped-up and yet groovy flow over producer Biggie Diehl’s reversed kicks and sharp snare attacks. The result is a fine specimen of atabagrime: a blend combining frantic atabaque beat and grime hints and flow. — Felipe Maia
The feeling of tranquility and nostalgia that instantly washes over you once you hit play on a Helado Negro track is incredible. It’s no different with “Hometown Dream,” off his seventh album, Far In. This song immerses you in the singer’s dream state-like synth-pop, which describes a “home away from home” feeling. This is complemented by the intimate VHS visuals of his first visit to Ecuador in 1988. It’s a love letter to those who don’t necessarily have one home but find a sense of home in many places and faces. – Jeanette Hernandez
Flor de Toloache co-founder Mireya Ramos is only months away from sharing her debut solo album, and her tender new single “Mi Mayor Fortuna” further cements her as a powerhouse of a vocalist. The song, co-written with Grammy Award winner Claudia Brant, is a throwback number that’s equal parts smooth quiet storm and theatrical balladry of the likes of Amanda Miguel. Ramos has found love and isn’t scared to express her gratitude to her partner, and the romance she oozes is so beautiful it’s contagious. – Cheky
Exploring intergenerational trauma can take an emotional toll, but Proper.’s way of dealing with sick riffs seems to do the trick. The Brooklyn trio doesn’t mince words, as “Huerta” puts it bluntly from the opening lyrics, “Don’t much know about my mother’s side,” and then ponders about what has been culturally lost and what could have been. Propelled by punky yet groovy guitars and aided by slight shifts in dynamics, “Huerta” is a perfect piece of indie rock fury. – Marcos Hassan
Trap goth and horrorcore are subgenres that have been around in one shape or another for decades in hip-hop but haven’t made the leap to Latine trap in a significant way. That’s beginning to change, and Ferrori can count himself as one of the first out of the gate. His new EP, Ying, is a companion piece to 2019’s Yang. While the latter was darker and touched on serious themes like suicide and oblivion, Ying injects some levity while staying true to his personality. Most tracks will have an accompanying music video that mirrors a cinematic aesthetic, in this case, the war film, which lends gravitas to the song’s theme of finding yourself assaulted by life. — Juan J. Arroyo
No stranger to musical talent, her grandmother being punk rock icon Paloma McLardy of The Slits/The Raincoats, 21-year-old Tianna Esperanza is emerging onto the music scene with her debut single “Lewis.” The young artist is infusing new musical energy into the bloodline with a soul-fueled R&B track inspired by the words of bookseller and activist Lewis H. Michaux, which the artist states helped inspire her own voice after coming across his poem recital in the documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. As an homage, the slow-burning single is met with partial spoken word segments to create a rich sonic palette of delicate sounds and complex history. With a timely release during Black History Month, the lyrics steer as an exploration of deep-rooted contemplation over the struggles interwoven into the fabric of the singer/songwriter’s biracial identity that encapsulate the themes of race, class, and religious oppression. – Jeanette Diaz
Boricua indie rockers Dogos are back with a new single titled “Estudiante,” unpacking the frustrating precarity of students uncertain of what the future holds but trudging on because it’s all they’ve ever known. The personal and deceptively heady track unfolds over breezy guitar pop and singer/songwriter Jorge Pérez’s soaring falsettos, packing an existential gut punch while you swivel your hips. – Richard Villegas
Last year, Chilean singer, songwriter, and La Matria Fest founder Mariel Mariel announced her upcoming album La Batalla and gave us a preview with the animated “En La Cancha.” Her latest single, “De Los Límites,” flourishes on a similar technicolor soundscape while drawing on elements of reggaeton and electro-imbued rhythms and boasts a cameo from Colombian visionary Lido Pimienta. The track is a testament to the collaborators’ camaraderie and unlocks the power that comes with healing from pernicious and toxic relationships. – Nayeli Portillo
“Mundo en Extinción” is the reunion of producer Ramón Amezcua “Bostich” and former Cafe Tacvba lead-singer Rubén Albarrán. Departing from a free-jazz ambiance and journeying throughout trippy regional and hypnotic trance-like sounds, the song is an anguished cry for the threatening feeling that surrounds us in a pandemic world on the verge of war. The single comes ahead of the first album by collective MTMX, a collaborative project that brings together artists from Texas and Mexico to fight intolerance with music. — Felipe Maia
With the catchy “Wow BB” track, Dominican artists Natti Natasha, El Alfa, and Chimbala serve us with another easygoing, flirty, and careless type of reggaeton-pop that is made for easy digestion. While we are always delighted to see Natti Natasha’s breaking barriers in music, such as her recent K-pop collaboration with MOMOLAND, we also enjoy seeing her thrive in her own reggaeton-pop lane. However, the best thing is her pairing up with dembow artists El Alfa and Chimbala, where we get that extra Caribbean pride from their country. – Jeanette Hernandez
Portland-based Venezuelan artist Andy Moon is set to pamper us with a good amount of new music this 2022 with his The Moon Caravan collective. Today, he’s giving us “Coyotito Azul,” his second single in two months. Featuring additional vocals from Mexico’s Caicedo, the song borrows from Tropicália and 2000s folk, all wrapped in an ambient veil. They share a simple but much-needed message many of us need to hear nowadays: stop suffering for things you can’t control. – Cheky
Serving as the theme song of the brand new Brazilian telenovela Além da Ilusão, “Tic-Tac Do Meu Coração” is more than just a nostalgic cover. Initially recorded by Carmen Miranda, this new version by the Musa do Tecnobrega keeps the vibes as close to the original as possible, considering the telenovela is set in the 1930s. Yet, Amarantos brings chops and charisma to the mix, giving it enough power to build into a grandiose epic of the Technicolor era for a new generation. – Marcos Hassan
Gailen La Moyeta has been having her best professional moment yet, which goes back to last summer’s breakout hit “Bobolonga,” where she stole the show in a song packed with numerous guest artists from all over DR. This month she releases “Vida Mía,” an all-purpose love letter to her significant other that fans can dedicate forward too. It’s a departure for her, a fact she admits in its lyrics (“Just listen to me, it’s rare I get sentimental”) but one that she easily dominates. It’s sappy in all the best ways and demonstrates one more side to Gailen’s still-untapped potential. — Juan J. Arroyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doUhvyfKtMk
After time away from music to focus on a personal journey of introspection and healing, Colombian-American artist Danny Murcia returns to the spotlight under a new moniker, Ex Mañana. On their latest EP Project Alborada, the young artist, who has composed for greats like Pitbull and Celine Dion, continues to display mastery in their ability to transfigure multitudes of genres and instrumentation to compute their own brand of Latine Alternative. The focus track appropriately titled “Volveré” unravels heavy themes of breaking free from family trauma and the cleansing journey of sobriety overlayed on the textured guitar-driven, yet whimsically soft sonic soundscape. Deeply intimate, the artist invites us into a beautiful interpretation of their own personal reclamation of the self after coming face to face with the less glamorous realizations that come with healing. – Jeanette Diaz
