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
Maria Usbeck - "Obscuro Obituario"
Taking a few steps away from the ’80s pop sounds of her former trio Selebrities, vocalist and composer Maria Usbeck’s new album, Envejeciendo takes her into the vast possibilities of Spanish language lyricism. On “Obscuro Obituario,” she lounges over a synth chaise, a drifting narrative of the possibilities of love written on our ins and outsides. -Caitlin Donohue
2
Los Tigres del Norte – “Prisión De Folsom”
Legends on legends! 50 years after Johnny Cash performed his fabled concert at Folsom Prison, Los Tigres del Norte dropped in for their own performances, and an astonishingly prescient cover of “Folsom Prison Blues,” updated with cautionary tales of gun violence. It should come as no surprise the loose reimagining of this beloved classic suits Los Tigres so well, given the shared rhythmic roots of norteño and country, resulting in a sort of musical homecoming for both the track and the overwhelmingly Latino crowd that witnessed the show. -Richard Villegas
3
El Mató a un Policía Motorizado - “El Tesoro”
El Mató a un Policía Motorizado went back to “El Tesoro,” the opening track from their 2017 album La Síntesis O’Konor, to strip it off from its indie rock clothing right down to its gorgeous soul, only to cover it with a thin veil of acoustic instrumentation. Its message of pure, unconditional love screams volumes in this low-key version that is, indeed, a treasure. -Cheky
4
Buenos Vampiros - "Momentos"
It doesn’t take long after you press play on the video for “Momentos” to realize the members of Argentina’s Buenos Vampiros are quite young. However, their sound skews toward the classic rock en español of decades old thanks to the gothic and dreamy winks they place in their stadium rock approach. It’s catchy, sinister and massive. -Marcos Hassan
5
Magañola feat. PQR - "Los Que Mandan En La City" (prod. by DJ Rambon)
Puerto, Veracruz has a heavy history when it comes to reggaeton — the beach city has been producing emcees since the late ’90s. Sangre Pirata is a newish label founded by DJ Rambon, whose father Marcello DJ was one of the first to play reggaeton in Mexico. For “Los Que Mandan En La City,” Rambon tapped Magañola of Puerto OG group La Dinastía. The track’s old school scratch tira serious barrio, jarocho style. -Caitlin Donohue
6
Kablito – “Yo Nunca Te Quise”
On the heels of last year’s silky smooth Telenovela EP, Ecuadorian-American chanteuse Kablito is slowly stepping back into the spotlight with some slinky new releases. “Yo Nunca Te Quise” is a cocky, hot girl summer slow jam perfect for letting that old flame know you were over them before anything even started. -Richard Villegas
7
Page Sounds - "Blue Sky"
There’s a quality to Mexico City’s Page Sounds that feels intimate and wide-reaching. The former comes from the delicate details in the instrumentation and arrangements, while the melody wants both triumph and introspection, and somehow achieves both. They make it sound like something natural and habitual. -Marcos Hassan
8
Deejay Florentino feat. Albany - "Dime Que Tu Queres"
Deejay Florentino is one of Mixpak Records’ Eastern Hemisphere representatives, a Colombian-raised, UK producer who leads the pack when it comes to disassembling reggaeton vocals into their composite parts. On “Dime Que Tu Queres,” off Ilimitado, Florentino’s second EP for the vaunted dancehall brand, he plays with the urgent lyrics of emerging singer Albany. Her Auto-tuned entreaties drift in between beats, ultimately serving as commentary on the increasing dispersion of reggaeton’s global reach. -Caitlin Donohue
9
Niño Francois - "Bunda"
This LA and San Fernando Valley-based, Collectivo Mafia Tropical producer just dropped a four-track EP called Dame Más Tra, an icey assemblage of kizomba, moombahton, and reggaeton club tracks. Start with “Bunda,” which combines the project’s calm, cool, and collected approach to dance floor detonation. -Caitlin Donohue
10
Sabrina Claudio - “Holding the Gun”
Love is blind, and Sabrina Claudio knows it best. Weeks before embarking on her upcoming North American tour, which kicks off in Los Angeles on September 21, the Miami singer dropped “Holding the Gun,” a sensuously intoxicating R&B jam about loving loyally and intensely. Keep the one you can love with such devotion. -Cheky
11
Defensa - “La Nueva”
Argentine duo Defensa’s new track on NAAFI, “La Nueva,” reminds us of that person who means nothing but bad news in our lives, but we can’t help but going back to. Riding a dancehall-adjacent beat co-produced by Lao, they give us the antidote for these situations: turn the music all the way up and worry about the consequences later. -Cheky
12
Sejo Hatori – “Miel”
There’s an oddly seductive space-age feel to Sejo Hatori’s immersive new single, “Miel” – no doubt the result of production from Mexico’s own starboy, Wet Baes. The track is reminiscent of orchestral classic rock epics like “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues, yet strip away all the evocative flourishes and you are still left with the undeniable gravitational pull of Hatori’s organic vocals and guitar playing. -Richard Villegas
13
Destello Floral - "Vacío Temporal"
When it comes to bands like Mexico’s Destello Floral, there is tremendous beauty within noise. There’s an added roughness to the recording quality of “Vacío Temporal” that reaches a harder corner of the ear, but once the dissonance hits its target, the payoff is as sweet as can be. -Marcos Hassan