Two words that we never in our wildest dreams expected to associate were “BICHOTA” and “post-punk,” and yet, here we are. Concepción duo FrioLento recently shared on their YouTube channel a version of Karol G’s international hit in a dark post-punk style that has us fantasizing of a world where Ian Curtis was alive and down for perreo, and we’re absolutely obsessed with it.
Of course, you’re most likely familiar with the Colombian superstar’s bop: it’s a slow reggaeton anthem you can chant for days at the top of your lungs, with lyrics about men who are all talk but can’t handle her and her pum pum. Now, speed it up, replace the beat with a cold drum machine, chorus-drenched guitars, and a robotic bass line, and add languid vocals singing from a man’s perspective. Now you have the cover you didn’t know you needed in your life. We’re still on the fence as to whether or not we prefer Karol G’s version or FrioLento’s, but every time the latter hits the chorus, the scale tips a little in the Chilean band’s direction.
We dug a little deeper and it turns out post-punk versions of reggaeton hits aren’t entirely new. Mexican musician Saúl de los Santos has spent the last six months taking your favorite mainstream Latin American artists to a Russian underground club with his icy reinterpretations, flipping the likes of Bad Bunny’s “Dákiti,” J Balvin’s “Agua,” Don Omar’s “Salió el Sol,” and “Lean,” by Superiority, Towy, Osquel, Beltito, Sammy, and Falsetto, among others.
Reggaeton artists have started dipping their toes into the dark side (see: Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo and Oasis’ “Cuidao Por Ahí” video,) so we wouldn’t be mad if this post-punk trend catches on. Then, who knows? We might be months away from hearing a The Cure and Natti Natasha collaboration.