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.
1
$enor $in $exo - "Answer One"
Ciudad Juárez collective Lowers has the solution to sonic stagnation — that’s how it feels on its release of producer $eñor $in $exo’s Alogia EP. Opener “Answer One” focuses on youthful vocal fragments, rendered into collage to make a multi-level ascension of electronic stair climbing. –Caitlin Donohue
2
Combo Chimbita - "Ahomale" / "Brillo Más Que El Oro (La Bala Apuntándome)"
This week, Combo Chimbita blessed us with one of their most riveting releases to date – a two-part expedition into a universe of intergalactic cumbia with a noisy twist. The double single is called “Ahomale” / “Brillo Más Que El Oro (La Bala Apuntándome),” and it begins as a mounting battle cry that frames Carolina Oliveros’ soaring vocals in fuzzed-out guitar and asymmetrical jazz drumming, later offering a slowed-down champeta respite as we enter the second half of this musical journey. The Brooklyn-based colombianos have also announced their debut album Ahomale, scheduled to drop May 3 on Anti-. –Richard Villegas
3
Mylko - "XO"
We’ve been gifted a preview of Mylko’s debut album, Fractures, through three previously released singles, and judging by those tracks, it’s safe to say that the Mexico City duo possesses the gift of melody. Their latest song “XO” is pure electro-pop gold; here, opposites attract in a magnetic field of electrifying synths and thumping bass. We’re caught in the middle of it, letting pleasure pull us in every direction. –Cheky
4
VICTOR! - "+(Plus)"
If “+(Plus)” is your first introduction to 18-year-old singer and producer VICTOR!, consider yourself lucky. The Chicago wunderkind’s penchant for bleeding-heart pop is on full display here, as Victor coos breathlessly about learning how to trust a partner and sneaking through their bedroom window over uneasy, winding guitar lines. Here’s hoping there’s more of this heartfelt vulnerability on his debut EP Placeres. –Isabelia Herrera
5
Femina - "Resist ft. Iggy Pop"
Argentine folk-pop trio Fémina have released a dreamy new single called “Resist,” which includes delicate marimbas, ethereal vocal harmonies, and an eyebrow-raising feature from rock icon Iggy Pop. While the song conjures images of starry skies and beachside meditations, Pop’s otherworldly vocals take things into truly surreal territory, making us even more excited for Fémina’s forthcoming Quantic-produced album, Perlas & Conchas, out on April 5. –Richard Villegas
6
Lester Rey - "Santuario"
A healthy reminder that Bad Bunny is not the only urbano artist challenging gender binaries, Lester Rey’s brand new single “Santuario” is all about finding refuge in your own authentic self. “Santuario” is the title track from Lester’s new EP and features a verse from fellow Chicago rapper Ric Wilson, who flows effortlessly over the song’s enveloping Caribbean minimalism. The release is accompanied by a video that practices what the song preaches, spotlighting a cast of diverse individuals on different points of the gender spectrum. –Richard Villegas
7
Jackie Mendoza - "Seahorse"
Chula Vista’s Jackie Mendoza methodically explores different textures as she ponders all kinds of sentimental relationships in the lyrics to “Seahorse.” The song’s jazz tonalities elevate the melodies, making its deep sense of gloom feel more ornate. While there’s a layer of profundity to “Seahorse,” the melodies and 80s-referencing rhythms will have you dancing wherever you find yourself listening to the track. –Marcos Hassan
8
Ben LaMar Gay - "A saída (ft. Flavio dos Prazeres)"
Puzzling, exciting, fearlessly fresh and yet hauntingly familiar, the mutated funk of Ben LaMar Gay’s “A saída” will leave your head spinning while your hips frantically try to catch up to the track’s heart-pounding beat. The Chicago-based avant-garde composer has spliced Afro-Brazilian drumming with machine-gun fire, grimy ambient textures, and MC Flavio dos Prazeres’ abundant bravado for the soundtrack to This is Bate Bola, a new documentary spotlighting Rio de Janeiro’s epic Melhor Que Tem carnival crew. –Richard Villegas
9
VAZZ - "Lightning In My Stomach"
The spirit of VAZZ’s sound is best described as cubist blues, a feeling that only makes sense when you’re in the thick of it, listening intensely to “Lightning In My Stomach.” Lo-fi elements layer on top of each other in what seems like a noisy pop affair, but instead, the track evolves into a melancholy dirge driven by auto-tuned vocals, making this track a showstopper in the weirdest way. There’s familiarity amid the distortion, keeping things memorable and taking you by the hand into the direction of a new kind of pop. –Marcos Hassan
10
"Rain Man" - BCOTB
San Luís Potosi’s BCOTB continue to be our go-to for chilled R&B adjacent remixes. “Rain Man” hails from the Blackbook EP, the duo’s release with Mexico’s MOVELIKE “bedroom producer” label. –Caitlin Donohue
11
Mint Field - "Jardín de la Paz"
“Jardín de la Paz” seems to herald a new era for the Tijuana duo of Amor Amezcua and Estrella Sánchez. The track preserves Mint Field’s melodic and melancholy tendencies, but now they have cleared the excessive reverb and refined their songwriting skills, resulting in a leaner, more exciting version of the band. Minimalistic guitar lines give way to a stellar riff that will have you jumping around before you sway along to their vocal harmonies. –Marcos Hassan