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
Y La Bamba - "Entre Los Dos"
It was not long ago when Luz Elena Mendoza came out swinging with Y La Bamba. One of the most exciting aspects of the project has been hearing how its musical language is expanding, and with “Entre Los Dos,” Mendoza brings us a new, vulnerable reflection. Topics of unconditional love and mutual relationships are translated into a prayer where the voice leads the way. And backed by minimal strummed guitars, whistling and handclaps, “Entre Los Dos” builts an intimate sonic space where fears and hopes can be confronted in a peaceful manner. -Marcos Hassan
2
Patio Solar - “En Mis Ojos”
Right in time for summer in the Southern Hemisphere, Chilean band Patio Solar released their song “El Verano” from their 2019 album, La Fuente, as their new single. They threw two more tracks into the mix, including “En Mis Ojos,” a short song that draws us in with a slow drum beat and acoustic guitars that shoot right to our heart with its lyrics about tender love and fear. -Cheky
3
SBM & YoSoyMatt - “La Niña Del Volcán”
Mexican producers SBM and YoSoyMatt have teamed up for an unusually meditative dance track titled “La Niña Del Volcán” – a conceptual, house-flavored tale of a young woman grappling with heartbreak and loneliness, teetering ever closer to the brink of an emotional eruption. -Richard Villegas
4
Francisca Valenzuela - “Flotando”
We’re getting closer and closer to the release of Francisca Valenzuela’s fourth album, but meanwhile, we can start getting acquainted with it with her new single, “Flotando.” Led by Valenzuela’s trusty piano, the Chilean star’s timeless songwriting paints a vivid picture of the excitement and uncertainty of falling in love with someone, actually making us feel like we’re up in the clouds. -Cheky
5
Zoonido - "Danza Del Viento"
Houston’s Óscar Valencia a.k.a. Zoonido just dropped his four-track Sol Y Lluvia EP on Grenada, Spain label Caballito. On this song, he weaves a downtempo spell using folkloric percussion and strings, with just a hint of ambient haze. -Caitlin Donohue
6
Princesa Alba & Alizzz - “Mi Culpa”
Princesa Alba got together with Galician hitmaker Alizzz and fellow Chilean artist Fernando Victoria to give us her first banger of the new decade: “Mi Culpa” impressively blends a reggaeton beat, pop grandiosity and enormous early-Alizzz synths, giving Princesa Alba the backdrop to point her love interest in the face and let them know she’s not responsible for their insecurities. -Cheky
7
Paul Marmota feat. BLO & T9 RJ - "Vampira"
Chilean producer Marmota has long been one of the shadowy forces shaping the electro-perreo sound, and with the release of 2020 opener Zona II, he gives a reminder as to how he makes the beats that have shaped some of today’s most recognizable urbano sounds. The majority of the album plays host to his constant collaborators, from Tomasa del Real and Ms Nina, to Spain’s La Vendición Records’ constellation featuring Yung Beef, El Mini, and La Zowi. But on “Vampira,” Marmota tries something a little different, bringing Nigeria’s BLO and Brazilian emcee T9 RJ into the fold for a bloodthirsty, minimal jaunt. -Caitlin Donohue
8
(Me Llamo) Sebastián - "Lo Importante"
Storm clouds have long been gathering around (Me Llamo) Sebastián’s once rose-tinted world, with each new production a growing reflection of his unease with Chilean politics, social media backlashes and tour life displacement. His latest release, “Lo Importante,” kicks off with a heartbreaking soundbite of an elderly woman concerned for her pension and healthcare stability – a direct nod to Chile’s unfolding social crisis – which slowly morphs into an emotionally loaded plea to hang on to life’s most precious gifts, like family, love, sex and cartoons. -Richard Villegas
9
Nicola Cruz - "Marea [I Lost My Poncho In Istanbul]"
Soca and dembow beats navigate chunky synth structures in this collaboration between Brazilian producer I Lost My Poncho In Istanbul and Ecuador’s Cruz. The two continue to push boundaries, blending their own local traditional sounds into digitized, modular expressions. -Caitlin Donohue
10
Todos Delfines - "Soy Mi Propio Mal"
Like eavesdropping on an adolescent going word for word on what went wrong when he spotted the person of his interests earlier in the day, this Morelos, Mexico bedroom pop project gives us a heartfelt and honest song delivered through a looping drum machine, dissonant guitars and detached vocals. “Soy Mi Propio Mal” delivers its emotion straight-faced, but there’s a catchiness in the songs that can’t be denied. -Marcos Hassan
11
OUJI - "Eyecandy" ft. Securitylucy
Argentina’s OUJI describes “Eyecandy” as a “fun lil queer fable” and it’s true: You can almost see the glitter flying around on the dancefloor just by listening to this song on headphones. Enlisting Spanish singer Securitylucy to handle vocals along with OUJI, the song has a faint new jack-swing mold made with modern software, presenting a track with more hooks than all songs on the Billboard charts right now. “Eyecandy” is the dancefloor banger you didn’t even know you needed. -Marcos Hassan
12
Niños del Cerro - "Durmiendo en el Parque"
Through the ages, countless artists have crafted odes to Mexico’s otherworldly gravitational pull, frequently oscillating between tales of creative fulfillment and life-saving refuge. The latter is the central theme of Niños del Cerro’s latest single “Durmiendo en el Parque.” This is the first taste of their upcoming EP Cuauhtémoc, where the rising Chilean five-piece drift into a breezy memory of an idyllic Mexico City summer – a fleeting escape from the socio-political anxiety currently haunting Chilean psyches on a daily basis. -Richard Villegas