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Bomba Estéreo Are Kinetic and Funky on ‘Se Acabó’

“Se Acabó,” a new track from the impressively flexible Colombian group Bomba Estéreo, opens with a walloping kick drum, the stuff of crushing house music and turbocharged disco. But that four-on-the-floor beginning is a feint of sorts, a trick to command your attention. Soon the punishing kick fades out, making way for intricate, rolling percussion — a soft tumble on a drum set, a hissing hi-hat — plus a melodic, expressive bass line. Lido Pimienta and Afro Cuban duo Okan join Bomba Estéreo’s lead singer Liliana “Li” Saumet on the vocals, helping to push the rustling, funky track forward.

“Se Acabó” is one of three new songs Bomba Estéreo released on Tuesday, following another three-track dump in February. All six songs will appear on Deja, a new full-length due out July 2nd. The band decided to divide their new release into four bite-sized chunks, each one corresponding to the elements of the earth: Agua, Aire, Tierra, and FuegoAgua came out in February; the latest bundle is Aire.


In a statement, Saumet said “the album is about the connection and disconnection of human beings — from the planet, from one’s own self. It’s about how we’re… more connected to electronic devices and virtual things than real things. So we decided to use the four elements [as an organizing principle for the album], because they’re part of the equilibrium of human beings.”

Bomba Estéreo’s last studio album, Ayo, came out in 2017.

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