A new wave of Latin music singles has arrived, spanning cumbia, rock, electronic, and folk, with releases from Dos Santos, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Marina Mole, and more.
Fusion and Roots-Inspired Singles
- Dos Santos, a Chicago-based band of international expatriates led by Alex Chávez and featuring drummer Daniel Villarreal, has released a single from the album Es Amor. The track blends retro cumbia, rock, and jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms.
- Hermanos Gutiérrez, the Swiss-Ecuadorian sibling guitar duo, have issued the title track from their latest album as a single. The instrumental piece evokes atmospheric film scenes set in the Andes. One listener commented,
“Makes a painter run for his brushes.”
- El Pony Express, an Austin-based band originally from Mexico City, has returned with a new single. The track revisits a melody that the Gama brothers, the core of the group, first heard on old neighborhood buses. That melody later became the background music for an Alcoholics Anonymous public service announcement and played a role in the brothers’ journey away from addiction.
- Loma Suyo, a duo based in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York consisting of Liz Fullerton and Ish Quintero, has released a single from the album Paloma, which arrived last week. The song is a homage to hummingbirds and their spring return to North American gardens.
Electronic and Dancefloor Experiments
- Rizomagic, a Colombian electronic production duo, has released a single from their third album of lo-fi cumbia grooves, recorded in Switzerland. The track is described as “Psychotropicolombian Futurism,” blending ambient electronica with cumbia.
- A Lyon-based Latin producer and DJ has issued an EP containing the original track and four remixes from global bass artists. One remix comes from Taipei-based B E N N, offering a spaced-out reinterpretation.
- Brazilian artists João Selva and Diego Strausz teamed up last summer at Patchworks’ Ginger X studio in Lyon to record a disco-influenced track. Released via Underdog Records, the song features production by Bruno Patchworks and carries echoes of Marcos Valle‘s approach to the genre.
Singer-Songwriter and Alternative Pop
- Marina Mole, a Brazilian artist, has shared a video shot on the streets of São Paulo for a single from her forthcoming album Azucrim, due later this year. The track was recorded on reel-to-reel tape and features poet Guilherme Ziggy. Its style carries echoes of Patti Smith.
- A Colombian singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles has released a single about finding a love that makes past heartbreak feel worthwhile.
- A Brazilian singer-songwriter has collaborated with hip-hop duo Kim & Dramma on a single from his upcoming album Sol Quimérico, out at the end of this month. The track reflects on the chaotic, fragmented experience of contemporary life shaped by technology, while the album balances digital-age anxiety with the possibility of renewal.
