Art by Alan Lopez for Remezcla
Every week, we highlight some of our favorite releases in a handy list. Although we try to cover as much new music as possible, there are so many stellar releases to talk about. Consider this our genre-diverse guide to songs we have on repeat.
Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
Five Mexican solo artists have come together to form AQUIHAYAQUIHAY, Finesse Records’ newest signees and the coolest up-and-coming boy-band you’ll hear in a while. In their debut single, “Karma,” they join forces and styles under the direction of Adrian Be and Phynx to sing about when bad energy from past relationships comes back to bite you in the butt, all on top of a silky R&B rhythm. –Cheky
Through their new single “Sense Tu,” Desert announced the release of Sense, their new EP dropping on October 26 via La Castanya. On the song, they balance two ends of nostalgia. While the weightless instrumentation might sound dreamy and uplifting, the Catalan vocals cut straight to the heart, making us think about what happens when we lose the people, places, or things we use to define our happiness. –Cheky
Monterrey-based singer, songwriter. and producer Fernanda Fuentes, better known as Sailawway, caught our attention last year with her beautiful and restrained debut EP Fragments. Fuentes is now back with a dreamy new single titled “Yearning,” written in the contemplative haze of New Year’s Day and following an unfolding romantic infatuation as it blossoms into vivid fantasies. –Richard Villegas
After last month’s sassy “OK,” Álvaro Diaz and Sousa are on a roll, confirmed by this inexcusably sexy exaltation of NSA trysts, specially designed for the end of the night grind with that “right time, right place” babe. –Caitlin Donohue
Beautifully breathless Venezuelan singer Angelo Reeves proves to be a sweet match for wide-ranging Dominican producer Diego Raposo’s tropical piano-drum machine bop. –Caitlin Donohue
Masochism, DEA, and lion metaphors weave in with wind instrument-sounds on this breezy, dancehall-inspired trip featuring a spread of pop urbano talent and fronted by Dalex of Rich Music. –Caitlin Donohue
Electronic instruments fall into place in a virtuosic fashion, like some spectacle of nature. San Salvador techno duo Amnésica keep things flowing, shapeshifting fluidly into different figures, resulting in an abstract mood communicated through a rich sonic vocabulary. –Marcos Hassan
Bratty and noisy garage rock continues to thrive in 2018, and Veracruz, Mexico’s Los Bish Bosh are making sure to take it to brattier and noisier places. Although it’s not quite winter yet, this ode to wishing someone’s death during Christmas and their preference for Santa Claus over God will help you get into the holiday spirit. –Marcos Hassan
Umor Rex’s first release by a Mexican artist in some time is a highlight of the label’s latest tape batch. As Alejandro Morse, Edgar Medina approached this piece like a painter capturing the flight of a nighttime bird: a darkened background lit by stars sets the stage for the bird to quickly glide over it, its black and blue feathers glistening in its ascent as if dawn won’t ever break. –Marcos Hassan
Dallas 5-piece Luna Luna first came on our radar earlier this year with their impeccable debut EP For Lovers Only, where they transmuted 80s cheese into glossy, neon-lit slow jams. Stepping away from irony and singing from the heart, Luna Luna’s latest single “Sunshine and Lust Are No Longer Enough” is a longing ballad about ending fuckboi shenanigans in favor of a real emotional connection. The band is rapidly becoming aligned with peers like Cuco and Kali Uchis, who are putting their vulnerability on the line for a more profound musical impact. –Richard Villegas
The afro-diasporic titans of Spain’s booming reggaeton scene have delivered this salacious perreo featuring Ms Nina, who brings her coy culona energy to Afrojuice 195’s first mixtape. –Isabelia Herrera
Ecuadorian rapper André Farra will be dropping his debut album REAL LIFE later this month and our first taste comes in the form of “FOOL,” an infectious party anthem dedicated to folks acting crazy just to look cool. Bouncing between cockiness and silliness, Farra’s energy is a collision of Chance The Rapper’s wholesome, uplifting spirit with an ounce of the finest weed Quito has to offer, resulting in a track that is perfect for bopping as well as chilling out. –Richard Villegas
Monterrey reggaetonera Any Geim dropped her debut EP Anykillah this week, and opening track “Baila” laces together drum kicks and syrupy synths in a Middle Eastern-inspired melody that will cause spontaneous body rolls from the jump. Anykillah was co-produced by Any Geim and local scene godfather Nurrydog, building the three-track release from slinky slow burner to full-blown perreo throwdown. –Richard Villegas
The all-women indie compilation Hits With Tits Vol. 5 dropped earlier this week, bringing with it a new track by Costa Rican garage rockers Las Robertas. “Muy Bien,” a roaring surf rock jam packing all the might of the Caribbean coast, has been a favorite of the band’s live shows for years, though as they happily announced on Instagram, this is the first time a proper studio version has been released. –Richard Villegas