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
Playa Gótica - "Donde No Volver"
After nearly five years of cutting their teeth in the Chilean underground, groovy power pop quartet Playa Gótica are taking an indefinite hiatus. While we gather the pieces of our broken hearts, check out their latest single “Donde No Volver,” a lightning fast barrage of drums, guitar feedback and Fanny Leona’s soaring wails perfect for working through your gone-too-soon frustrations. “Donde No Volver” is the latest in a series of singles heralding the band’s follow up to their phenomenal debut album Amigurumi, with all signs pointing towards a final collection of indie pop jams to swoon over into posterity. -Richard Villegas
2
Mon Laferte - “Chilango Blues”
Mon Laferte is back with a cinematic new single titled “Chilango Blues,” capturing big-city loneliness with smoky vocals and atmospheric slide guitars that will remind you of long walks in the rain. Chile’s queen of cabaret melodrama turned global pop sensation has embraced ambitious genre hopping over recent album cycles, so this return to slinky, sultry form will delight hardcore fans. -Richard Villegas
3
La Fiebre - “Bailando Conmigo”
Is it cumbia? Is it reggaeton? Are you listening to an El General deep cut while on acid? Knowing Tony Gallardo and his latest club alter ego La Fiebre, it may actually be all of the above. “Bailando Conmigo” is a journey of chaotic perreo that will lead you to the dance floor for a sweaty session of no holds barred booty thrashing, ending as quick and mysteriously as it began. -Richard Villegas
4
Vestron Vulture - "Goldust"
For those prone to dance with tears in their eyes and dab every once in a while, Vestron Vulture have the right musical formula for you. Combining goth stylings, synthpop instrumentation and trap beats, the Monterrey, Mexico producer invokes darkness and club vibes for those wanting something a little different from their party experience. Does anybody know if Bad Bunny and Marilyn Manson are free to drop a remix? -Marcos Hassan
5
Gama & Xique-Xique – "Aparição"
According to the liner notes of La Correnteza, the album where this track comes from, the whole point here is to combine “water and listening;” and if you pay close attention to “Aparição,” you can hear how the instruments flow from one to the other in a wavy fashion, like rivers forming from other bodies of water. Through downtempo beats and simple instrumentation, this team up sounds both natural and digital in the best ways possible. -Marcos Hassan
6
Canalón de Timbiquí - "Tío Guachupesito" (Uji remix)
Taking the original from the trad mamba de chonta Colombian outfit, Uji knows how to maintain what makes this music special while uplifting it with an exquisite electronic treatment. Accentuating the polyrhithmic nature of the music with pulsating synth touches, this remix helps us appreciate the timelessness and deeply emotional aspects of traditional Colombian music as practiced by one of the most exciting current ensembles and redone by someone who rather follow foundation of the music instead of clichés. -Marcos Hassan
7
Mi Amigo Invencible – “Bip-Bip No Me Hables”
“Bip-Bip No Me Hables” is a quiet star in Mendoza giants Mi Amigo Invencible’s new album Dustiland. This perfect minimalistic dialogue between classic indie-pop instrumentation sounds like a private session in the center of our brain orchestrated to give us the feels, enhanced by its blunt lyrics about flatly calling off a relationship. -Cheky
8
Pablo Rojas - “Un Lugar”
Hijos and Monte member Pablo Rojas previews Un Lugar, his first album under his own name, with its title track, a heart-wrenching pop-rock ballad that tastes bittersweet. He thinks of memories as the most important piece that makes us human beings what we are, and reminisces with joy about loved ones left behind. But with them comes melancholy, which casts its shadow all over us. –Cheky
9
Yih Capsule - "N.M.Q.B.C." (prod. Elias Rocas)
In a world of neo R&B Transformers-types, one welcomes the subtle smoothness of an artist who jukes today’s over-production tendencies. To that end; Santiago’s Yih Capsule From The Block mixtape, which tracks her aloe-smooth slides over a cooly present lounge chair of a beat from fellow Chilean, producer Elias Roca. Dive into the rest of From The Block‘s tracks for collabs with Santiago’s rising beatsmiths (e.g., Airlaps and Mlshbts’ apprearance on “Efecto Mezcal”) and Yih’s time-tested rap chops (“Plano Cartesiano”). -Caitlin Donohue
10
Kaydy Cain feat. Los Del Control & Yassir - "Medellín"
The Spanish reggaeton contingent renders homage to the land of Nicky Jam’s second coming. Hard to be mad at Kaydy’s velvet baritone caressing Bogotá dreams, and less with the inclusion of the 15-year-old emcee Yassir, who debuted with the Secretos mixtape distributed by Pxxr Gvng’s indie label La Vendición in 2018. -Caitlin Donohue