10 New Songs to Listen to This Week From Girl Ultra to Ramon Vega
This is a weekly compilation of bite-sized song & EP reviews from our music writers. Discover new favs, read nuanced criticism of the week’s hottest releases & more. Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.
Girl Ultra – “Amores de droga”
After giving us “rosas (dímelo),” the first preview from her forthcoming EP, Mexico City’s Girl Ultra now shares “Amores de droga,” a UK club-infused new single where she detoxes from love. Embodying her usual raw, vulnerable style, Mariana de Miguel confesses she’s not made for love, making our hearts wrench with a simple catchy chorus: “Yo no nací pa’ enamorarme/Qué desmadre.” On the accompanying Cole Santiago-directed video, De Miguel appears as a runaway bride alongside Inner Wave’s Pablo Sotelo, who plays her punk rocker partner in crime. — Cheky
Pusho x Myke Towers – “La Llamada”
With its relentless dembow and nocturnal synths, “La Llamada” is the kind of song rife for letting desires run amok. A literal vibrating phone sets the stage for the sexually explicit plans that both emcees have with their respective partners for the night. Although sex is the point, soon the lyrics turn to give in to pleasures beyond the carnal, like drinking and smoking; this raises the question if “La Llamada” is a recounting of a real experience or detailed fantasies that Pusho and Myke Towers are indulging in. Regardless, it bangs. — Marcos Hassan
Albany – “bb tu me oyes”
Growing out of the blooming mid-2010s trap scene in Spain, Albany keeps steering her ship towards more R&B-tinged and somber low-paced sounds. Her latest work, “bb tu me oyes,” showcases an artist with a creative pen game and sophisticated use of auto-tuned vocals—a must for sorrowful songs like this one. The single is upheld by ethereal piano textures and overdriven guitars. It’s a cyberlove perreo concocted by the 20-something singer along with producer Dre Bey that turns out to be an inventive take amidst an overtly pop-ified post-reggaeton wave. — Felipe Maia
“Aquí Estoy” – PJ Sin Suela x Residente
That hesitancy to approach a beautiful stranger is at the center of PJ Sin Suela’s new single “Aquí Estoy,” off his new full-length album De Vuelta a Casa. The Puerto Rican-rapper (and M.D. who spent months last year helping at hospitals during the early days of the pandemic) can’t find the courage to strike up a conversation and resorts to wondering aloud all the questions he wishes he could ask. Guest artist Residente takes a more aggressive approach, ready to risk it all and start a revolution for their mystery Helen of Troy. — Juan J. Arroyo
Ramon Vega, Cornelio Vega y Su Dinastía – “Romántico”
Young and on the rise from Sonora, Mexico, Ramon Vega is taking his inherited norteño royalty and transforming his energy to infuse fresher avenues into his musical lineage by exploring sonic stylings in hip-hop, pop, and R&B. With a listen to his latest release, “Romántico” is a standout rhythmic serenade. Vega spews desire-fueled lyrical flows with sensual ease towards the object of his affection as the single finds an intersection between traditional norteño instrumental sounds and modern urban beats that create a sound that supersedes generations, genre and generates a dynamic dance track. — Jeanette Diaz
Francisca Valenzuela – “Último Baile”
With “Castillo de Cristal,” Chilean artist Francisca Valenzuela set off the countdown to her upcoming new album, which will also include “Último Baile,” her latest single. The upbeat, percussion-heavy jam gives us flashes of ‘80s funk, cumbia, and even reggae, forming a technicolor pop anthem that invites us to dance like it’s our last time. “Es el final del mundo/Pasémoslo juntos/Todo es tan absurdo,” Valenzuela’s stacked vocals sing, a thought that’s been running our minds too many times that’s now been set to music and refocused as a celebration. — Cheky
Desta French – “Hija”
There’s so much gravity to the word “hija” that UK-based artist Desta French evokes the moon, sun, earth, and water to describe its importance. This imagery is as moving as her voice—rapping as well as singing with equal aplomb—over a psychedelic and rhythmic backdrop that’s both smooth and propulsive. Still, nothing will prepare you for the beat switch when a clave rhythm drops, instantly referencing her Colombian roots to connect many traditions into the present. The result is a unique spiritual as well as a physical experience. — Marcos Hassan
FBC & VHOOR – “Vem pro baile”
“Vem pro baile” is the sinister opening track of BAILE, the last album by Brazilian rapper FBC and producer VHOOR. Born and raised in Belo Horizonte, a hotbed for today’s Brazil’s rap, the duo pays homage to the baile funk and hip-hop scene that blossomed in their hometown in the ‘90s. As they say, the album is a Miami bass opera—and “Vem pro baile” depicts the first hours of a party night, filled with TR-808 sequenced kicks, reversed wobbling chords, and grim layers. — Felipe Maia
ZTVZ – “DÉJATE QUERER”
It’s perfectly apt that brothers Diego and Carlos Andrés Estévez studied theoretical physics before becoming musicians, as after just one listen through their catalog it’s evident how their sonic inspirations owe a lot to the abstract and phenomenal. Calling themselves ZTVZ, the duo makes music that feels best enjoyed by wearing an astronaut’s helmet and watching Andromeda swirl in the distance. “DÉJATE QUERER,” the new single off their self-titled debut album, is a proclamation of love and yearning and how those feelings make you feel like floating. Love, like space, has no gravity. — Juan J. Arroyo
Dogos – “Dime Juan” (Orteez Remix)
Puerto Rican shoegazers Dogos are giving a facelift to their delightfully breezy single “Dime Juan,” which was released earlier this year and captured a sunnier side of the band. This time around they’ve enlisted a remix from producer Orteez, who slows things down with atmospheric synths and lurching beats that give the song a sensual, loungier feel. — Richard Villegas
