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
Cineplexx - “Hey” (ft. La Bien Querida)
“Hey,” Cineplexx’s first preview of his upcoming album Solo Olas, is a lovely collaboration with La Bien Querida for all of us romantics out there. It’s a song with an old heart and a current sound where they sing about love and distance, and the moment you realize the reason you can’t shake someone off of your head is because you’ve fallen flat on your face in love. -Cheky
2
Álvaro Díaz & Rauw Alejandro - "Videos"
Urbano lifer Álvaro Díaz returns with a sultry dembow groove co-headlined by the ultra-melodic vocals of Rauw Alejandro; “Videos” is everything you want from a romantic perreo: rhymes, melodies, and fat beats to shake fat booties. As an added bonus, take a look at the video which imagines a world where the common plotlines of porn lead to fully-clothed sandungueo. -Marcos Hassan
3
REYNA - “The Way I Love You”
Some people just have that glorious pop touch, and Mexican-American sister duo REYNA are one of them. Back in June, El Paso’s Victoriah and Hannah Banuelos shared their latest single “The Way I Love You,” a thrilling number about past relationships that keep us from finding new love; and they’ve now released its music video, a homage to Mexican telenovelas that has us laughing in Spanish. -Cheky
4
Gianluca - "Flotando"
If heady but boppable romanticism is your back to school jam, you will want to check in with Chilean vocalist-producer Gianluca’s sleepover-inspiring “Flotando,” whose video in and of itself is a pastel pop-trap love note. -Caitlin Donohue
5
Princesa Alba - "Hacerte Mal"
If you enjoy twerking to Paloma Mami and Bad Gyal, you’re going to love Chile’s rising reggaeton it-girl, Princesa Alba. Back with a new jam titled “Hacerte Mal,” which will be a mainstay of South American summer playlists, Alba conjures an unexpectedly earnest voice, avoiding cynicism and jarring boisterousness and setting herself apart from her urbano peers. –Richard Villegas
6
Gepe - "Prisioneros"
Late last year, Chilean superstar Gepe entered an exciting new career chapter with a highly publicized signing to Sony Music Latin. Finally unveiling his major label debut, we are now treated to “Prisionero,” a sure fire hit for the musical alchemist colliding cumbia, harp and Andean woodwinds into a beautiful and infectiously danceable ode to the love that captures the heart and never lets it go. – Richard Villegas
7
Alpha S feat. Vandal Boogie - "Vandal Rave"
In Chile, they wedge school chairs into the gates of the university when there is a student occupation going on. The country wears its activism prominently, a fertile background for the pride Santiago producer Alpha S takes in his “precarity as resource” thesis. He’s pursuing the line in a four EP series that kicks off today with Surakismos Vol 1. This song with Alpha’s hip hop group Vandal Boogie stands out among an otherwise nearly vocal-less electronic-dominated tracklist. It will bring ample chaotic good to those leaning towards tearing it all down. -Caitlin Donohue
8
Apache O'Raspi - "Fronda"
The easy-going pace of “Fronda,” the latest song from Mexico’s singer-songwriter Apache O’Raspi takes a psychedelic stroll through the park. In his hands, the psych sound steers away from sonic excess, coating his folky delivery with dreamy 60’s sound by way of classic rock en español, like Cerati’s flirtations with the genre before he bought his first sampler. El Apache knows how to handle evocative lyrics and subtle hooks and he lays them down here with confidence. -Marcos Hassan
9
Los Plastics Revolution - “Nadie T.V.”
The easy-going pace of “Fronda,” the latest song from Mexico’s singer-songwriter Apache O’Raspi takes a psychedelic stroll through the park. In his hands, the psych sound steers away from sonic excess, coating his folky delivery with dreamy 60’s sound by way of classic rock en español, like Cerati’s flirtations with the genre before he bought his first sampler. El Apache knows how to handle evocative lyrics and subtle hooks and he lays them down here with confidence. -Marcos Hassan
10
Megansito el Guapo - "Mentiroso"
R&B crooning with a lo-fi twist, Megansito el Guapo’s latest single “Mentiroso” is simultaneously an act of contrition and self-deprecating neon cheese-fest that sounds like a sexy vaporwave bop for the Twitter age. –Richard Villegas
11
Kel - "Pro Alto"
“Pro Alto” is a perfectly fine piece of studio track from Brazilian bass music enthusiast Kel. It has shifting rhythms, modern electro-trap atmosphere, and domination of the bass frequency to break sound systems with. However, sitting at home and listening to it with headphones will only get you so far, since Kel’s music begs to be played at high volumes to big rooms of people losing their minds to this music, so crank that bluetooth portable speaker until it blows into a million pieces. -Marcos Hassan
12
Sandunga - "Queenas"
This song has a heartbeat like a hummingbird’s, like you could sub out a cup of coffee with it if you’ve been meaning to cut back on caffeine. Veracruz-Cholula producer Sandunga’s throbbing bass shows out on Ten Toes Turbo’s third compilation of women beatmakers, which is most definitely worth your play. -Caitlin Donohue
13
Islas - "Sofa"
This trio from Mérida has been doing the rounds in the Mexican underground scene for a little bit but its sound has been begging to go bigger from the start, only getting better with each release. With “Sofa” their ‘80s-tinged melancholic pop-rock is dark enough to let you wallow in your own feelings but also propulsive enough to get you dancing by yourself. Sad teens and nostalgic adults could bond over this music. -Marcos Hassan