Best Songs of 2013

It was hard enough choosing the best music videos of 2013, but now you expect us to choose the best songs, too? You’re getting greedy, readers. Being the hard-working, benevolent little brand that we are, we’ve decided to give you more than just a year-end listicle. So what’s better than a roundup of the 30 best tracks to hit our ears this year? A roundup of the 30 best tracks AND a downloadable playlist of said 30 tracks (well, 27, labels be difficult, yo!). We know, we know, it’s almost too generous. But we’re in the holiday spirit, so for the next 48 hours have your way with 27 of the 30 tracks, the cream of the Hispanic crop.

Every year we try to resist total subjectivity by surveying the general impact of these songs. The best track on this list isn’t the best because it was our “favorite” (we each have our own personal favorites). It’s the best because it represents something about, not only the artist who created it, but the world in which they created it. It’s the track that feels quintessentially 2013. And while some of our personal favorites might have been left out altogether (Café Tacvba’s “Olita de Altamar,” No Fucks’ “Vegetal Tropical,” AJ Dávila’s anything), this list, to us, feels like a geographically wide, mixed-genre-inclusive encapsulation of the year that was.

You can now stream our Best Songs of 2013 on Spotify.

30. EMPRESS OF / “REALIZE YOU” [USA]

“Tristeza” is Empress Of’s breakout work in 2013 but “Realize You” proved how deep her talent runs. Lorely Rodríguez, the empress who dons the proverbial crown, crafted her own version of a dance club jam with “Realize You.” Hers is a laid-back, unknowingly (and innocently) sexy tune that can stand a few repeat listens. Rodríguez’s tongue-twister lyrics are cleverly employed, lending themselves well to emotional collective chanting (“Crying is a crime because you love to do it all the time,” “Freedom ain’t free if I can’t be free with you,” “Have you been you with you lately because you haven’t been you with me”). – Paola Capó-García

29. SIETE CATORCE / “DOUBLE VISION” [USA]

Siete Catorce – who we boldly dubbed “The Future Sound of Northern Mexico” earlier this year – says he makes dance music that is “to think to at the same time.” In which case, this hypnotic ruidosón track would be what you play post-spliff, when you’re bopping around your room late night, contemplating your mortality. The slow-building song is like a seven layer dip; hazy synth chords are coated with slowed down cumbia snares, sprinkled with a percussive melody, topped with more glitchy beats, and melted with ghostly, warbling notes – the layers building and dropping out as the song progresses. The end result? A tasty track that just might hypnotize you into a food coma. – Andrea Gompf

28. JACUZZI BOYS / “DOUBLE VISION” [USA]

Vocalist Gabriel Alcala explained to Rolling Stone that “Double Vision,” the first single from his band Jacuzzi Boys’ new self-titled LP, was born after a night of creating tequila sunrises (tequila + orange juice + a splash of cherry something). He wasn’t kidding. The song has an incredibly chill vibe of late nights skating past all the bars around Santa Monica pier (or whatever the Miami equivalent is). It sounds a bit similar to all that wonderful psychedelic surf rock that came out of Mexico this year as well. Perhaps there was some unknown psychic connection between them all. Bookmark this track for the good times to come in summer 2014. – Afroxander

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27. LA MECÁNICA POPULAR / LA PAZ DEL FREAK” [USA]

A few months ago, at a Madison Square Garden concert called “La Salsa Vive!,” I found myself grimly pondering the future of the genre. Young faces were virtually nonexistent both on stage and in the audience, and the vibe was one of a music whose heyday has come and gone. But a few days later, La Mecanica Popular’s debut LP dropped and changed my mind about salsa’s trajectory. A much-needed gush of new blood, the multi-national collective’s track “La Paz del Freak” is an acid-laced take on classic salsa dura, layering conventional rhythms with experimental, custom-made synths and software. The end result is a highly danceable “psychedelic-salsa-meets-70s-barrio sound” that is grabbing salsa by the hair and yanking it into 2013. We’ll be looking forward to whatever is next from these guys. – Andrea Gompf

26. XENIA RUBINOS / “WHIRLWIND” [USA]

Parallels to tUnE-yArDs are fair game when discussing Brooklyn’s Xenia Rubinos. They both share that bold quirkiness and propensity for non-linearity that make each song its own experiment and logic. “Whirlwind” asserts all of these principles, giving us no actual words or themes, just noises. Wonderful noises. Here her voice works the way Marco Buccelli’s drums work: they incite. –Paola Capó-García

25. MISS GARRISON / “I” [CHL]

As far as first times go, my first time listening to Miss Garrison was a satisfying one. “I” introduced me to this Chilean trio (led by Francisca Straube) in a very pronounced way. It felt confident, wounded, and different from a lot of other stuff around. Straube’s voice is so gorgeous you don’t care what she’s saying and the momentum the song stores up makes you well up. Sometimes when you say certain songs are “headphones” songs what you really mean is, “The production value is shitty so you need headphones to hear any kind of detail.” But that’s not the case here. “I” is a headphones song because it’s so transporting and transcendent nothing else matters. It places you in a vulnerable spot, all the while chipping away at your armor. –Paola Capó-García

24. GRISES / “WENDY” [ESP]

Few songs in 2013 made us feel like we could fly. You can hate me for that statement. It’s probably the cheesiest thing I’ve ever written (and I’m guilty of self indulgence). But listen to “Wendy,” just once, and try to tell me that that is not the fucking catchiest shizz you’ve heard in a good while. I fully believe that it is capable of inspiring multiple flash mobs of cathartic dance breaks all across the universe. I believe it can incite peace treaties far and wide. I believe it can mend fences (both metaphorical and literal ones). Just last week I got into a fight with my boyfriend, but then I played this song and four minutes and 13 seconds later we were making out. It’s a damn magic trick, this song. – Paola Capó-García

23. FÜETE BILLETE / “LA TRILLA” [P.R.]

If there’s anybody out there who caught the attention of younger audiences—who don’t care much about rap en español (if anything at all)—and made them turn to Puerto Rico’s new hip-hop scene, it’s definitely Füete Billete. And even though their lyrics are controversial to some, one thing’s for sure: Füete’s boricua R&B flavor and crunk-fueled rap music will have us talking for a long while. So, finding “La Trilla” listed among our favorite tunes of the year shouldn’t come to any of you as a surprise, for it is indeed the one gem that came with their debut. – Eric Gamboa

22. URSS BAJO EL ÁRBOL / “LOS HILOS DE DIOS” [MEX]

There are very few songs that feature a killer bass line, an even more striking guitar riff, and a saxophone that sound as tight as URSS Bajo el Árbol in “Hilos de Dios.” Clocking in at a few seconds shy of six minutes, the song is (1) a rarity in the era of radio-ready singles, and (2) so epic that it feels like it’s never ending. Samuel Cervantes’ voice feels like it’s coming from his gut, so powerful and emotional that it’s nearly impossible to ignore him. The abrupt ending gives it a sense of urgency to the point where you feel Cervantes is going to choke. Following in The Mars Volta’s footsteps, the track has a slow buildup that becomes a theme throughout the rest of the song. After the first listen, you can’t help but listen to it again and again while looking for the nuances. – Amaya García

21. BEGUN / “SAN FRANCISCO” [ESP]

Not too much is known about the creative genius behind beGun. The work comes from a Barcelonero named Gunsal (actually Goncal) Moreno who is also one half of the duo known as SuperCola (not to be confused with the rock group from Japan with the same name). Gunsal/beGun went solo this year and has two EPs to his name, including one that bears the title to this favorite track of ours. “San Francisco” can lay claim to the new rising scene of electronic musicians that include YYXXYY, Faded, Young Cvlt, and others who experiment with tons of synths, keyboards, drum pads, and hip-hop/R&B samples. We hope there’s more like this next year. – Afroxander

20. HELADO NEGRO / “DANCE GHOST” [USA]

The indefatigable and prolific musician of Ecuadorian descent, Roberto Carlos Lange, didn’t slow down a bit this year, releasing the second part of his double album and magnum opus, Island Universe Story, and a brand-new album, Invisible Life, under the Helado Negro moniker. “Dance Ghost” is the outstanding track of his latest album: a melancholic, dreamy, and vibrant window into the mind of an artist at the peak of his creative powers. Even as many of Helado Negro’s musical peers and contemporaries have migrated to other genres or dropped out of the game altogether, Roberto keeps carrying the fire, and will continue to, for the time being. – Manuel Ibarra

19. JOSUÉ JOSUÉ / “BRUJAS Y MAGAS” [MEX]

“Brujas y Magas” is one disconcerting track on all fronts. It’s a wildly experimental/glitch track that’s way closer to the current wave of Russian electronic music than to anything on this side of the hemisphere. With each misplaced laugh loop, clap, and mysterious marimba sounds, he steps farther away from hip-hop than anything I’ve heard this year. This seemingly non-sensical cut-and-paste technique (also used by Kanye West on “Bound 2”) is what makes the track a standout, even more so when you add Josué Josué’s slow, poetic lyrics about a city populated by dodgy characters and even stranger situations. I have a feeling only this guy can get away with putting black mambas, witches, magi, rituals, sacrifices, and social critique in the same story and keep it awesome. – Amaya García

18. MARÍA MAGDALENA / “CADA VEZ MAS CERCA” [CHL]

Chile is really gunning for Sweden’s throne as World’s Best Pop Peddlers. The last few years have seen a slew of catchy synth-pop acts emerge from this sliver of land, and María Magdalena is the newest kid in the club – a singer whose pirouetting falsetto sounds like the cousin of Canadian songstress Grimes’ voice. The debut single off Magdalena’s second album “Cada Vez Más Cerca” is a buzzy, chameleon of a song that somehow feels perfect for a million contexts; its dark, rushing synth is at once nostalgic disco, a euphoric drive down a city street, the closing credits of a poignant coming of age movie, and the score to the video game you just can’t quit. You’ll play it back. More than once. – Andrea Gompf

17. PROTISTAS / “VIDEOCAMARA” [CHL]

Protistas seems to get overlooked in favor of other Chilean musicians, not through any fault of their own but probably because there’s so much to choose from that region nowadays. Hopefully we can correct that mistake by including the group’s “Videocámara.” The song is simultaneously off their 2010 debut Nortinas War and 2012’s Las Cruces, both chock-full of delicious lo-fi tunes such as this one. “Videocámara” is probably the catchiest pop tune to come out of Chile this year, a delightfully fun track in the vein of early Sub Pop bands and The Flaming Lips. – Afroxander

16. LOS MACUANOS FT. LUCRECIA DALT / “PASADO Y PRESENTE” [MEX/COL]

We knew Los Macuanos as the Tijuana-based trio of producers behind that tribal guarachero viral hit “Bandera,” and maybe we dismissed them as just a momentary fad because of that. We were wrong, because with their 2013 Nacional Records-released official debut album, El Origen, they proved that they were a lot more than mere bandwagon riders of the latest blogosphere-patented electropical trends. And that was mainly thanks to this one epic song. Flipping a familiar sample from Los Angeles Negros (Damien Marley did it first!) and adding the haunting vocals of Colombian-born Lucrecia Dalt, Los Macuanos caught us off guard with a trippy downtempo gem that rivals the best work by genre rulers Echocentrics. Welcome to post-Nortec Tijuana. – Juan Data

15. MARIA Y JOSE / “CLUB NEGRO” [MEX]

“Club Negro” is the song they’ll be playing at the hottest dance club in hell. It embodies everything that makes María y José—real name Antonio Gallardo—María y José. It doesn’t skirt around the topic, instead, it charges toward it with all its might and self-aware malice. Gallardo’s music is about crafting an identity amidst violence and excess and “Club Negro” does an excellent job of recreating a state of horror and hypnosis where we’re all asked to give up our identities and bodies for a higher (evil) cause. Even the drumline intro alerts us to the song’s not-fucking-around-ness. It’s an important moment in music in 2013. – Paola Capó-García

14. HACHE ST FT. BOCAFLOJA & FAVI / “CONMEMORACIÓN” [MEX/DOM]

“There’s no democracy here, there’s consensus, no mystery,” spits Bocafloja at the end of his first verse, and if consensus really exists about something, it should be this: when you get the best MCs from Dominican Republic and Mexico together on a track—produced by the best beat maker from Argentina—magic happens. No mystery there.

Just a decade ago, a transnational collaboration of this kind (Favi does her chorus thing all the way from Dolores Park in San Francisco, CA) would’ve been really difficult to orchestrate. But thanks to globalization and the gravitational rules of the virtual multiverse, talented people, no matter where they are geographically, tend to congregate online and end up doing wonderful things together. I used to be very disenchanted with the state of Latin hip-hop (with all those fools following mainstream Anglo trends and talking about swag, cars, and gold teeth) until this beautiful, soulful song gave me hope and made me swoon all over again for my first love. Thank you. – Juan Data

13. TRIANGULO DE AMOR BIZARRO / “ESTRELLAS MISTICAS” [ESP]

Dang, Spain, why you so good rye nao? 2013 yielded A LOT in the way of an ’80s revival and we’re not talking about Aqua Net, ridiculous hairstyles, or fishnet tops. We’re talking about the good stuff, like post-punk and shoegaze. There were lots of great groups who pumped out a number of quality tunes that recalled the days of dudes standing on stage staring at their bajillion guitar pedals and playing very loud, distorted guitars and spooky bass lines. Triángulo de Amor Bizarro is at the top of that list of bands, especially since they forced us to wait three years for some new material. This is the moment when we beg them to tour the USA: PLEASE COME PLAY SHOWS HERE NEXT YEAR!!!! – Afroxander

12. ORQUESTA EL MACABEO / “LLUVIA CON SOL” [P.R.]

Without resorting to hyperbole, Orquesta El Macabeo’s “Lluvia con sol” is the anthem of this generation of young Puerto Ricans. Hell, if it were for me, I would replace our national anthem with this, a salsa song so beautiful, so earth-shatteringly honest and, above all, so poignant that it hurts. You can’t help but play it on loop. Behind the painfully happy tropical rhythms, the sudden plena, the tinkling piano, and resounding cowbell lies an impeccably worded take on Puerto Rican idiosyncrasy: “Saliendo temprano y llegando tarde / lluvia con sol, sin wiper y sin aire.” The cheeriness of the music might sound a little ironic, yet it speaks perfectly as to how we, as a nation, deal when the deck is stacked with crappy cards. At the end of the day, you play with whatever cards you have left, dance the night away, and do it all over again the next day. – Amaya García

11. JUAN CIREROL / “AHÍ TE VA A LLEGAR EL CHEKE” [MEX]

Juan Cirerol spent many years as a guitarist for a death metal group (or was it thrash metal?) before tossing all that aside for an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Well, that and a shit-ton of drugs and alcohol as he’s seemingly confessed in his latest album, Cachanilla y Flor De Azar. Failed relationships, drug use, life on the road…he’s Jack Kerouac with a guitar confessing his vices to the world. No song is as “confessional” as “Ahí Te Va Llegar El Cheke,” in which the Mexican Johnny Cash goes on for six minutes about being “anti-todo” and his life as a junkie, pero no como “un junkie cualquiera.” It’s cathartic, it’s intense, it’s uniquely Juan Cirerol. – Afroxander

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10. EL PARDO / “LAS CLASES OCIOSAS” [ESP]

This is the one song I keep coming back to, the one I keep finding new ways to articulate how much it means to me. It’s the most overtly political track featured on this list, but even in its obviousness it resists being didactic. Maybe it’s because its politics aren’t just neo-liberal babble proclaiming art can save the world or some fluff. It’s an elegy for the way we relate. It’s a cry for awareness and response, a refusal to bow down. Raúl Querido, in a deadpan gargle, aggressively thanks the exploitative regimes above him, equating money to God and swallowing to accumulation. It’s desperate, smart, and rattling. –Paola Capó-García

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9. CENTAVRVS FT. DENISE GUTIÉRREZ / “POR ESO” [MEX]

With their mixture of rock, pop, and electronica with regional Mexican genres, Centavrvs have managed to conquer our hearts because they’re so unexpected when it comes to their music, as evidenced by our favorite “Por Eso.” Even when you can hear a prominent accordion and a subtle guiro, “Por Eso” has the dramatic and visceral quality of a tango. It’s a song about lovers with so much history, so much violence, restraint, and love that you can only marvel at how Centavrvs managed to pack all of those conflicting feelings in under five minutes. As an added bonus, the track features Hello Seahorse!’s Denise Gutiérrez’s beautiful voice, dangerously throwing the needle toward the red. If there was an intensity thermometer for music, “Por Eso” would’ve broken it, hands down. – Amaya García

8. LOS WÁLTERS / “CUADRADO REDONDO” [P.R.]

If Grises’ “Wendy” redefines the word “buoyant,” then Los Wálters’ “Cuadrado Redondo” makes the word its bitch. It’s the kind of insta-pop-classic that just makes you feel really good when you listen to it. And that’s OK. I like a good mope fest here and there (read: anything I’ve ever written), but when a song lifts you up the way “Cuadrado Redondo” does, you have to tip your hat to that. Crafting a non-ironic, purely euphoric pop song without tipping over to the this-is-so-earnest-I’m-going-to-puke side is not an easy thing. And yet, you’re utterly charmed, so disarmed and open to the anthem it inspires. And it inspires many. – Paola Capó-García

7. BLAYA / “SUPERFRESH” [BRA]

You don’t even have to watch Blaya’s music video for “Superfresh” to know that she’s a badass Queen B with attitude dripping from every orifice. The Brazilian/Portuguese rapper makes her way through the kuduro trap track with ease, talking over exotic bass beats and dirty sounds, which is no surprise: 2013 was the year of trap and, personally, I couldn’t be happier. Fresh off the same-titled EP, “Superfresh” can transcend time and space with sounds reminiscent of grime tracks you’d find in the back of a London underground club while the sun is coming up. It’s pretty consistent (no huge drops or “OMG” moments) making it not so much a club banger, but maybe more of a back-of-the-limo party banger instead. – Stefa Alarcón

6. JUANA MOLINA / “SIN GUIA NO” [ARG]

“Eras” is an excellent song (and video), but to truly experience the Juana Molina genius, look to “Sin guía no.” She’s at her best when she waves her freak-folk flag and she lets it all out on this track. It’s a schizophrenia-induced episode turned sweaty nightmare turned lullaby turned witch burning turned final breath. It’s a lot. But in such a controlled, measured way that you’re with it at every turn, feeling the craziness and whimsy wash over you. It fuels our fiending need for Wed 21 that much more. – Paola Capó-García

5. FABRIKANTE / “CHANTEOMA” [ECU]

OK, so we’re kind of cheating on this one. Technically, this track came out in 2012, but its album, Memoria y profecía de Doña Petita Pantón, came into our lives in 2013, so we’ll allow it. And can you blame us? “Chanteoma,” Fabrikante’s calling card, sounds like it comes straight from the soul, a gut-busting burst of personality that makes other songs near it pale in spirit. It’s a picture of DIY perfection, weaving together lyrical leaps, corporal instrumentation, and, judging by the video, a lot of facial dexterity. Fabrikante is a walking art project, an artist who immerses himself into the world of his curious and exciting creation. Here’s hoping 2014 is filled with more Fabrikante. – Paola Capó-García

4. BFLECHA / “B33” [ESP]

Where was the finest romantic party this year? In Vigo, via BFlecha, a dreamy project led by Belén Vidal, who gave birth to the lovely βeta, a 10-track LP that boasts a big variety of styles, trends, and forms of lavish synth ornamentation. But…the crunkest song of them all?Unquestionably “B33,” the one that the melancholic love set alight, with a tumultuous 808 drum machine arranged between a sexy R&B feeling melted to the core, and a futuristic tender sound generously sprinkled with pop cosmic rays. Sounds too complicated? Just wait until you hear the rest of βeta. – David Meléndez

3. DËNVER / “REVISTA DE GIMNASIA” [CHL]

For the Spanish-impaired out there, this tune may sound like it’s all about ’70s disco glamour. It’s hard not to dismiss it as just a tribute to ABBA when the synths in the intro make you wanna start singing “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.” But it’s in the contrast with the dark lyrics where the real genius resides. And the video does an excellent job exposing this contrast, between the sublime beauty of the young gymnast and her creepy, abusive trainer. The Chilean indie-pop duo are no strangers to our Best-Of lists. In fact, they took the trophy in 2010, so finding them here shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Still, I get the feeling that lots of you out there have yet to discover them. – Juan Data

2. TINO EL PINGUINO “VE NOMAS” [MEX]

It’s fun, it’s original, it’s clever, it’s cliché free, and it has the catchiest beat of 2013. What else can you ask for from this new school chilango rapper? A dope video? You got that too! “Ve Nomás” was one of the greatest surprises of the year. I hadn’t even heard this guy’s name before, so I was a bit skeptical when my editor assigned me the task of reviewing it. Then the Spanish guitar loop started and I was hooked. I became a Pingüino insta-fan. This guy can really rhyme and he has a unique flow that makes it hard to pinpoint influences. But my favorite thing about him is that, regardless of his obvious intelligence and verbal dexterity, he never sounds preachy or pretentious. – Juan Data

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1. LA MALA RODRIGUEZ / “LA RATA” [ESP]

At its core, “La Rata” is not about joie de vivre. In parts it’s bleak, worrisome more often, but mostly it’s a stern look at the world circa 2013. María Rodríguez Garrido has something to say about a million things: herself, the economy, the world at large, and even mortality. This is nothing new for La Mala (or hip-hop itself), but it doesn’t just narrate the situations, it presents them with emotion that makes you want to rush to the streets and grab life by the cojones. “La Rata” is a personal statement about the times we live in, a postcard signed by a charismatic individual that manages to inject excitement with each turn without you noticing. – Marcos Hassan