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.
Julián Mayorga - “La gente que yo conocía toda se está muriendo”
Colombia-born, Madrid-based artist Julián Mayorga just released La Fiesta de la Transmigración, his latest four-track EP written and recorded at home during quarantine. The first single, EP opener “La gente que yo conocía toda se está muriendo,” is a domestic cumbia that tackles death and mourning in such a poetic way, that things end up sounding like a celebration of life instead of a sad affair. –Cheky
Andrés Arzate - “Feliz”
Mexico’s Andrés Arzate has a history of working with other artists live and in the studio, but he’s ready for his close-up. His second solo single “Feliz” just dropped, and it’s a nostalgia bomb in the form of slick R&B with psychedelic inclinations. It’s a bittersweet story about seeing an old flame be happier with someone else, and it’s throwback instrumentation that makes our hearts ache. –Cheky
Letón Pé - "¿Pa Qué?" ft. Choby
From the Dominican Republic, singer Letón Pé put a song out for all the people who are all talk and no action. On the soulful R&B jam “¿Pa Qué?,” she is tired of wasting her time with a man who won’t make his move, represented on this song by rapper Choby, who swears he’s not going to leave her hanging. But she’s heard it before, so he has to go. –Cheky
Natanael Cano - "El Magico" feat. Yvonne Galaz
Natanael Cano’s Corridos Tumbados II dropped this week hoping to cement the trap regional singer’s #1 status, and its showcasing of Cano’s vocal talents may have done just that. On “El Magico,” fellow Rancho Humilde signee Ivonne Galaz’s soulful lyrics and work on the strings are song standouts. -Caitlin Donohue
Divas Nos Queremos x Bruja Prieta - "Jovan"
Divas Nos Queremos is a Mexico City alliance created to gather funds for trans artists impacted by COVID-19. To raise awareness of the cause, the group has been putting out a magical series of affirmations intoned by their collective members. DJ Bruja Prieta (a.k.a. illustrator Jovan Israel) is known on the perreo scene, but this track conjures cyclical calls for healing over calming ambient. -Caitlin Donohue
Tau x Inés Pacheco - "A Marte"
Guadalajaran R&B singer Ines Pacheco is still defining her sound after an early 2020 debut, but to date she’s looking to make a name for herself through overpoweringly sensual slow jams. Here she slips in between the silk sheets of a beat by by Mexico producer Tau, the first single off his upcoming Riddim & Friends mixtape. -Caitlin Donohue
Most Dangerous City - "Fire"
Honduran electro-pop duo Most Dangerous City has released a steady stream of radio-friendly bops over the course of 2020, and with their latest effort “Fire,” the pair is ready to set dance floors ablaze deep into the summer. Channeling glossy earworms from the likes of Kylie Minogue and Sneaky Sound System, “Fire” is an incandescent mix of towering synths, effervescent percussion, and Mar Boreal’s ethereal vocals–all swirling together to make a gem of Central American dance music. –Richard Villegas
Abbie - "Otro Lugar"
Summer is finally at our doorstep, and with rising temperatures comes delightfully breezy guitar pop. The brainchild of singer-guitarist Gabriela Vargas and producer Pablo Ocampo, Abbie is an exciting new contender in Costa Rica’s guitar-driven underground. With debut single “Otro Lugar,” the pair delivers the perfect soundtrack for twee summer flings and road trips to the beach. –Richard Villegas
Vaya Futuro - "((O))"
Over the past five years, Tijuana’s Vaya Futuro has become one of the most beloved cult bands in Mexico, oscillating between shoegaze, psych, and ambitious experimentalism, while always bolstered by the intimate songwriting of singer-guitarist Luis Aguilar. With “((O)),” their first single since 2017’s excellent Tips para Ir De Viaje LP, Vaya Futuro continues their beautiful internal canvasing, invoking orchestral drama and coupled with Aguilar’s soaring vocals to deliver an emotional masterclass on pain and transcendence. –Richard Villegas
Edgar Mondragón - "Un Grito Encerrado"
Lockdown has been very hard for many of us, as the weeks become months with no discernible end in sight; something that most musicians releasing music seem to overlook in favor of the same old. Not Mexican electronic artist Edgar Mondragón though, who forgoes his usual ambient and techno-inspired music for something chaotic and glitchy that represents a walk into darkness that eventually sees the light in the form of inspiring melodies that bleed into it as the song moves along. There’s hope at the end of our feelings of dread and isolation. -Marcos Hassan
Sonic Emerson - "Todo Lo que Tú Creías"
Being a member of the extraordinary dream pop unit known as Mint Field, there’s no doubting Sonic Emerson as a knowledgeable musician when it comes to ethereal music, yet he insists on exploring beyond that. On “Todo Lo Que Tú Creías,” the Mexico City musician gives us a moody and emotive psychedelic ballad that uses occasional washes of guitar to sink the feeling further into our minds. It’s psych for the blue mood. -Marcos Hassan
Cigarettes After Sex - "You're All I Want"
In their short career, El Paso’s Cigarettes After Sex have established themselves as an indie rock equivalent of The Weeknd, penning songs about horny, sad, and druggy romances that consume themselves deep into the night. For a second during the intro to “You’re All I Want,” they seem to detour for a bit into Los Bukis ballad territory before setting course for the known. The song will most likely help set the mood for a steamy Zoom hangout. -Marcos Hassan
Chamo - "Aires"
The thing about a global pandemic is that it affects most of the population of Earth, so it’s not a surprise that a big theme for music right now is the feeling of loneliness and yearning for a lover’s touch. Bogota’s Chamo joins the ranks of these artists tackling the subject with his new loosie “Aires,” a romantic downer trap ballad spiked with heartbreak. The easy-going vibes of the track both mirror the slowness of time under lockdown, while making the passing days more bearable. -Marcos Hassan