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.
That moment when you’d like to freefall into the embrace of a lover, when self-determination is only attractive insomuch as it gets you into their clutches? Chilean pop purveyor Francisca Valenzuela offers up this bright homage to being drunk down by an attractive mouth. –Caitlin Donohue
On “Apple Juice,” one of pop music’s most promising figures reconciles the past and present to learn about the pitfalls of falling in and out of love. Jessie Reyez employs a waltzing instrumental that sounds like a 60s ballad processed lightly by an EDM producer’s computer. Her words and performance are full of warmth, giving the feeling of a friendly hug from a lifelong acquaintance. –Marcos Hassan
The Uptown dominicana had too much fun on her taunting single “Icey” from earlier this year, so Melii circled back and expanded the original’s Spanish to encompass the song’s perfectly bratty verses. Try on the ominous beat and her occasional run ups on the microphone for summertime sessions of feeling yourself. –Caitlin Donohue
El Gran Poder de Diosa reworked the classic Batey Cero track “El Resguardo” to make it the centerpiece of Tabaré Blanchard-directed feature film Veneno, about legendary Dominican wrestler Jack Veneno. Over a psychedelic merengue instrumental, Eddy Núñez sings about the mystical process through which “Juancito” – Jack Veneno’s rival Relámpago Hernández – received his protección. This song is our new azabache; nothing can touch us. –Cheky
Anita knocks down one of the last boundaries standing between the Brazilian icon and global fame. “Medicina” is the pop star’s first solo Spanish-language track, despite singing en español on past collaborations like J Balvin’s “Machika.” –Caitlin Donohue
Mexico City’s most emotionally charged indie band is back with another slice of melancholy heaven. “Expectations” doesn’t find them tweaking their approach much – post-punk rhythms, reverb-soaked vocals, crystalline guitar lines – but they fine-tune their performance to give you twice the heart-on-your-sleeve feels, without getting corny. –Marcos Hassan
Armisticio’s second single is proof that the “dreambow” concept is slowly spreading across Latin America. “Terminales” shines like a pixelated summer cloud, and with its technology-focused lyrics, it’s making us think of an AI robot dreaming about falling in love with its creator and decoding the mysteries of human emotion. –Cheky
Maybe Keke will fall for the Spanish version? Puerto Rican reggaetonero Juhn hardly went for a word-for-word versioning on this Drake moment, but those looking for a bouncier vibe in July probably won’t mind. –Caitlin Donohue
On “Easy,” the second track on her new Monkeytown-released No Cover EP, Catnapp teaches us a valuable lesson: don’t mess with her. The Berlin-based Argentine artist asks, “Hey, what you say about me?” as glass breaks in the song’s menacing start-and-stop beat. Her masterful use of tension and passive-aggressive rhymes fuels the intimidation. Point taken. –Cheky
R&B singer Gaby G, formerly known as Native Youth, teamed up with her Florida peer Savannah Cristina to deliver a statement on sexuality and lust called “Addict.” The pair explores the boundaries of sweet and sexy, curious and determined, dripping the song into our ears like honey. –Cheky
Punk icon Martin Sorrondeguy makes an appearance early in this track, thanks to a sampled speech about power dynamics (“nosotros no somos dueños de nada, ellos son los que mandan”). Chilean producer Tomás Urquieta reflects this sentiment in a restless techno production that shifts rhythms and fading atmospheric sounds in and out of the mix. The tone is bleak and vigilant, but the beat is an invitation to dance into the revolution. –Marcos Hassan
https://soundcloud.com/aaddeedd/lo-funke-omaar
Get into this wobble. NAAFI affiliate OMAAR is happy to go bottom-heavy on his reverberating, fast-stepping club track. –Caitlin Donohue