Tag: world music

New Video: Reijy Shares Heartbreaking “SI Te Vas”

Jhon Edison Villamizer is a rising Cúcuta, Colombia-born, Medellín-based singer/songwriter, best known in the Latin music world as Reijy. Villiamizer’s career started in earnest over a decade ago, with a string of hits that captivated audiences in his hometown and elsewhere. Since then he has collaborated with a who’s who list of acclaimed Latin music artists including Feid, Amaro, Kevin Florez and a lengthy list of others. 

Solidifying himself as an up-and-coming artist in Colombia, Villamizer recently relocated to Medellín, where he signed with DINASTIA Inc, one of the country’s highly renowned labels. 

Last year, the Colombian artist announced plans to release a new song over the course of a year to showcase his unwavering dedication and passion for his craft. One of the singles in that year-long series including “EFECTO w,” a lounge and club friendly bop featuring skittering trap beats, fluttering atmospheric synths and remarkably catchy hooks. The production serves as a lush and sainty bed for Villamizer’s delivery, which sees him alternating between vulnerable croon and swaggering braggadocio. The song reveals an artist, who seems to write an effortless and summery hook-driven bop.

Villamizer’s latest single “Si Te Vas” continues a run of club and lounge friendly material featuring skittering trap beats, twinkling keys paired with the rising Colombian artist’s achingly plaintive delivery. The song and the accompanying video tells a story about the narrator’s lover, who hides a terrible breast cancer diagnosis, which initially raises suspicious of infidelity. Understandably, it leads to a fight. The video suggests that the narrator’s lover tragically succumbs to cancer, leaving the narrator with bittersweet memories of both good times and bad — with the heartbreaking sense of “what could have been.”

Villamizer hopes that the video and song raise awareness of breast cancer and the need for honest communication and trust in all relationships — especially romantic relationships.

New Audio: Choses Sauvages Shares Groovy “Cours toujours”

With the release of their Emmanuel Ethier-produced 2018 self-titled, full-length debut, Montréal-based dance punks Choses Sauvages — Totalement Sublime‘s Marc-Antoine Barbier (guitar), Theirry Malépart (keys), Tony Bélisle (keys), Philippe Gauthier-Boudreau (drums) and La Sécurité‘s Félix Bélisle (vocals) with Foreign Diplomats‘ and Frais Dispo‘s Charles Primeau (bass) as a touring member — exploded into the local and provincial scenes. The album was a critical and commercial success with the album topping Independent Radio Charts across Québec while receiving widespread critical applause. In 2019, the Montréal-based outfit landed Association Québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video (ADISQ) Félix Award nominations for Alternative Album of the Year and Indie Rock Album of the year, with a Félix Award win for Indie Rock Album of the Year. 

Throughout 2019, the French Canadian outfit supported their full-length debut with a relentless touring schedule across the province. During that tour, the band quickly developed a reputation for a must-see live show that they brought across the global festival circuit, including stops at Reeperbahn, MaMA, FIMPRO, SXSW, Le Printemps de Bourges and Wide Days. 

2021’s Choses Sauvages II found the Montréal-based outfit pushing their sound more towards electronic dance music and nu-disco influences like L’Imperatrice and Lindstrøm while still drawing from their love of funk, Bowie and Bee Gees. The album also sees them furthering their approach which pairs rigorous and meticulous songwriting with a rebellious spirit. 

Choses Sauvages’ highly-anticipated third album, Choses Sauvages III is slated for a March 28, 2025 release through Audiogram. In the lead-up to the album’s release, I wrote about two of the album’s singles late last year:

  • “Incendie au paradis,” a decidedly New Wave/post-punk song that seemingly drew from Heroes and Low-era Bowie and Pleasure Principle-era Gary Numan that depicts artificial intelligence as angels that can transform and improve our daily lives. But while addressing the technological advance’s promises and benefits, it raises serious and sobering concerns on its impact on all of us. “I wanted to highlight the need to think about the ethical and moral implications and the still unknown limits of these new technologies, and the influence they have on our lives,” Choses Sauvages’ Félix Bélisle explains. 
  • “En joue,” which saw the band seemingly drawing from Freedom of Choice-era DEVO, Pleasure Principle-era Gary Numan, Entertainment-era Gang of Four and even La Femme to create a song that was simultaneously tense yet danceable. The song as the band’s Bélisle explains “refers to the helplessness in the face of extremely violent international news of recent years. It also deals with the fear of the other, the dehumanization of certain populations taken hostage in armed conflicts.”

Choses Sauvages III’s third and final pre-release single “Cours toujours” is anchored around a dreamily narcotized yet driving groove, twinkling keys and slashing, post punk-like guitars, which serve as a lush bed for Félix Bèlisle’s ethereal cooing. Bélisle explains that “Cours toojours is a song that discusses the impossibility of escaping oneself, of the need to face the anxieties that inhabit us. The song is “a New Wave-flavored piece about personal questioning. As if we identified a problem at the centre of our being without being able to explain it,” he says.

New Audio: Population II Shares Krautrock-like “Mariano (Jamais je ne t’oublierai)”

Acclaimed Montréal-based psych rock outfit and JOVM mainstays Population II — Pierre-Luc Gratton (vocals, drums), Tristan Lacombe (guitar, keys) and Sébastien Provençal (bass) — can trace their origin back a long way and are inextricably linked to their teenage memories. After years of jamming to the point of developing a unique sense of telepathy, the trio began recording independently releasing material that caught the attention of Castle Face Records head and The Oh Sees‘ frontman John Dwyer, who signed the band and released their full-length debut, 2020’s À la Ô Terre, an album that saw the band displaying their mastery of improvised and sophisticated composition. 

The Montréal-based psych outfit then spent the better part of the next two years touring to support their full-length debut, which included stops at SXSW, Pop Montréal, Toronto, NYC, and Québec City. 

Population II signed with Bonsound‘s label, booking and publishing arms. The Montréal-based label released the trio’s Emmanuel Éthier-produced sophomore album, 2023’s Èlectrons libres du québec. Their sophomore album is much more straightforward while showcasing their remarkably adept musicianship and furthers their take on heavy psych rock, which feverish punk rhythms, early punk energy bursts, hints of jazz philosophy and a love of minor scales informed by heavy metal’s early roots.  

The album received praise from both press outlets on both sides of the Atlantic, including Rock & Folk, Exclaim!, La Presse, Le Devoir and long list of others. Adding to a breakthrough year, the Montréal-based outfit won a Breakthrough of the Year Award at 2023’s GAMIQ Award ceremonies. 

Last year was a very busy year for the Montréal-based JOVM mainstays: They released the Serpent Échelle EP. Released on a limited-edition cassette tape and on all digital platforms, Serpent Échelle saw the band crafting material that boldly stands out from their previously released work: Shifting between orchestrated passages and lysergic-tinged riffage, the EP’s material is wilder, much more adventurous and heavier. And while rooted in their remarkable compositional skills, the material displays a newfound commitment to songwriting. Thematically, the EP’s material touched upon the desperate urgency of life in an age of global doom while still enjoying life’s small pleasures — love, friendship, wine, good tunes and good times.

They closed out a very busy 2024 with Mulchulation II, a split EP with Canadian punks Mulch. Continuing upon a prolific period, the Montréal-based JOVM mainstays laid the groundwork for their third album, the Dominic Vanchesteing-produced Maintenant Jamais. Slated for a March 28, 2025 release through Bonsound, the 14-song album reportedly sees the band drawing from their formative influence with a deep, sense of sophistication.

Maintenant Jamais‘ second and latest single “Mariano (Jamais je ne t’oublierai)” is a krautrock/prog rock-like take on psych rock featuring pulsating drum patterns paired with glistening synths and fuzzy power chords serving as a lush and languorous bed for Gratton’s dreamy cooing. Arguably one of the most krauty songs of their growing catalog, “Mariano (Jamais je ne t’oublierai)” sees the band subtly — and perhaps playfully — expanding upon their sound while reminding listeners of their adroit musicianship and songwriting.

New Audio: Michael O. Shares a Yearning Yet Catchy Bop

Michael O. is a New York-born, Portland, ME-raised singer/songwriter, who grew up within a fusion of American, Black American and Nigerian culture. His work is honors his upbringing and his roots rand is deeply inspired by both. And through his remarkably accessible music, he hopes to make avenues for the African Diaspora to connect, as well as to inspire all nationalities across the globe to tap into their respective ancestral lineages.

He attended Dartmouth, where he double majored in Global Health and History and joined an a cappella singing group, The Dartmouth Aires. The group participated on NBC’s The Sing-Off, finishing in second place, which helped the rising artist earn a national and international attention, as well as praise from the show’s judges, Ben Folds and Boyz II Men‘s Shawn Stockman.

After The Sing-Off, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he released his debut EP, 2013’s In The Beginning. Within 24 hours of its release, the EP cracked iTunes R&B Charts Top 5. The EP was also Northern New England’s best selling EP.

He appeared in 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2, playing the role of The Singboks’ lead singer, soloing with “Anywhere You Want It.” He was also featured on Pitch Perfect 2‘s American Music Award-winning, commercially successful soundtrack.

Back in 2017, he began diving deeper into West African and African-influenced music , winning a HAPA Best Upcoming Artist Award for that year’s “Your Way.” He followed that up with “Umbrella” “See Stars” and two remixes of “Umbrella — one sung in French and the second remix featuring Kenyan star Naiboi. Adding to a growing international profile, he has collaborated with FlexCop, Option4 and Gladiator.

Michael O.’s latest single “Attention” continues a run of remarkably breezy, accessible an downright catchy pop that meshes elements of Sade-like Quiet Storm R&B and Afrobeats paired with the rising artist’s plaintive, yearning delivery. At its core, the song is a love song for the grown and sexy out there.

“‘Attention’ dives deep into the emotions of a relationship unraveling,” Michael O. explains. The track captures the bittersweet beauty of accepting a relationship that’s ended — even if they didn’t want it to happen. “‘Attention’ is both a personal confession and a universal anthem for anyone navigating love’s complexities. This track is for everyone who’s been there—questioning themselves, searching for closure, and coming to terms with an ending they didn’t want but couldn’t stop.”

New Audio: El Dusty, Ace1, Ratchetón and Harlay Team Up on a Flirty Banger

JOVM mainstay El Dusty is a Corpus Christi, TX-born and-based electronic music producer. He has developed a global following as the pioneer of nu-cumbia, which meshes the rich heritage of Latin music with hip-hop and electronic music. El Dusty’s unique sound is deeply rooted in his upbringing on the American-Mexican border, where Tejano anthems and Chicano soul frequently met the heavy bass lines of reggae and house music.

Renowned for his innovative use of the MPC2000 sampler and for his knowledge and love of deep cut Latin classic, the Corpus Christi-born and-based JOVM mainstay has collaborated with an electric array of artists and producers including Santa Fe Klan, Mexican Institute of Sound and Erick Rincón.

When he’s not in his studio at Americano Label, El Dusy is busy performing on stages around the world and working on major brand projects for Pepsi, Jack Daniels, Red Bull and others.

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Bilingual Salvadoran artist Ratchetón exploded into the Latin music scene with his FKi 1st and Isvir Beats co-produced debut single “Que Lo Que,” which amassed over 350,000 streams while jumpstarting a growing fanbase. His sophomore single “Callate” continued the momentum of his debut, while seeing him spit fiery Spanish bars over a hip-hop club bounce.

The rising Latin artist is currently working with FKi 1st and a collection of top-tonic producers and musicians on his highly-anticipated full-length debut.

Ratchetón and Harlay recently teamed up on the El Dusty and Ace1 co-produced “Aye Papi,” a swaggering banger that’s a loving tribute to the city’s vibrant cumbia scene and the city’s beautiful women that pairs El Dusty’s Tejano-infused nu-cumbia with Ace1’s Larry Levan-like keyboards to create a song that will make you approach that pretty young thing and try to dance with them.

New Video: Thaïs Shares a Club Friendly Bop

Rising Paris-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay Thaïs specializes in an atmospheric and delicate pop sound, which compliments her ethereal delivery. Thematically, her work typically focuses on melancholy, loneliness and dysfunctional, confusing, heartbreaking love.

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past handful of years, you may recall that 2022 was a breakthrough year for the JOVM mainstay: She signed with Bravo Musique, who released her highly anticipated full-length debut, Tout est parfait.

Since then the French Canadian artist has had busy couple of years: She has expanded upon her growing profile, opening for KYO, M, Arianne Moffatt, Dumas and Suzane while working on her Blaise Borboën and Thaïs co-produced sophomore album Personne. The album also features contributions from La Faune’s multi-instrumentalist Jay Essiambre and bassist Émile Farley.

Slated for an April 4, 2025 release, the rising JOVM mainstay’s sophomore album will reportedly be “extroverted music for introverts” — energetic tracks that lead towards self-affirmation while allowing listeners to delve deeper into her universe.

Personne’s fourth single “Taxi” is a slickly produced, dance floor friendly bop that sounds as though it were inspired by Robyn. And while arguably being the most club ready songs of her growing catalog, the song is anchored by her penchant for pairing introspective lyrics with remarkably catchy hooks. The song’s narrator is on her way back from a night out, sitting in the backseat of the titular taxi, when she’s caught the ghost of a past relationship — through a favorite song or a passing by a place that reminds of her this past lover or something along those lines.

Directed by Alexis Boudrias, the accompanying video introduces us to a bruised and battered Thaïs waking up from some sort of accident and then performing the song in a bare studio. We also see the rising French-Canadian heading to a party and when she arrives, quickly realizes that she doesn’t belong. She makes an attempt to leave and winds up in the studio, where she presumably feels more like herself.

New Video: Alain Void Shares 80s Synth Pop-Inspired “Roba de pecore”

Italian electronic musician and producer Alain Void emerged into the synthwave/electro pop scene back in 2022 with his solo recording project, Empty Essence, which meshed elements of post-punk, electro pop and darkwave with lyrics that tackle philosophical themes.

Over the past year, Void stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist, writing and recording under his own name. He was inspired by the need to spread awareness and awaken consciences through music.

His latest single “Roba de pecore” brings Violator-era Depeche Mode to mind with Void’s Dave Gahan-like vocal being paired with glistening synth arpeggios, thumping beats and some remarkably catchy hooks.

The accompanying video is a gorgeously cinematic shot, black and white fever dream.

New Video: Maga Córdova Shares Sultry “Lluvia (LIKE YOU)”

María Gracia Córdova, best known as Maga Córdova is a Guayaquil, Ecuador-born singer/songwriter, who can trace the origins of her career to her childhood: Her parents taught her that music was arguably the most genuine form of human expression.

Back in 2016, Córdova was a participant on La Voz Ecuador, where she acquired a number of valuable tools both professionally and personally, which helped her to start a solo career, which led to signing with a local record company.

Córdova released a handful of singles, including 2018’s “No Me Dejes Sola,” “Te Lo Buscaste,” “Amor Camuflado,” her hit “Error Tras Error,” and the 2021 international collaboration with Martina La Peligrosa “Cuando Nos Encontremos,” have helped her win a dedicated fanbase in Ecuador. Adding to a growing profile, she has shared stages with Morat, Greeicy, Gian Marco, Noel Schajris, Piso 21, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky and Luis Miguel.

After a years’ long hiatus, the Ecuadorian artist released three singles last year “Mil Gracias (KARMA),” “Vuelvo a Volar (HIGHLIGHTER)” and “Soy Otra,” which reflected her own evolution as a person and artist, while highlighting female empowerment. Those three tracks topped the Ecuadorian charts, demonstrating both her talent and the connection she has with her fans.

This year, the Ecuadorian artist plans to release a batch of new material that includes her latest single “Lluvia (LIKE YOU),” a slick, dance floor friendly synthesis of Larry Levan-like house, Latin music and Afrobeats anchored around the Ecuadorian artist’s sultry delivery.

The single is accompanied by a gorgeous visual shot at lakefront party that features some incredibly sexy dancing.

New Audio: Paris Duo La Punta Bianca Shares Eerily Dreamy Single

Paris-based synth pop/synthwave duo La Punta Bianca — Francesca Diprima (vocals) and Phillipe Brown (vocals, synths, drum machines) made a name for themselves in the Parisian alternative and indie scenes with their debut EP, 2019’s Demian. The EP saw the duo firmly cementing their sound: Diprima and Brown’s dreamy melodies are paired with equally dreamy synth-based soundscapes.

Initially released on cassette tape, the EP was then pressed on vinyl twice. The EP’s success in the synthwave scene enabled the duo to tour across France and the European Union.

The Parisian duo’s highly-anticipated and long-awaited full-length debut, Disquiet is slated for a March 18, 2025 release through Detriti Records. The album, which continues a run of material rooted in absurdist romanticism and Lynchian strangeness, sees the pair drawing from Angelo Badalamenti, John Barry and Leonard Cohen with songs being sometimes dancey, sometimes melodramatic. Lyrics were written and are sung in French, Italian and English throughout. All of this is paired with carefully programmed synth and drum machine-driven arrangements.

Disquiet‘s first single “Extanimal,” is a dream-like song featuring twinkling synth arpeggios, Casio synthesizer-like beats as a lush yet atmospheric bed for Diprima and Brown’s eerily uncanny boy-girl harmonies. The result is a song that reminds me quite a bit of Young Narrator from the Breakers-era Pavo Pavo — but with a nouveau vague sensibility.

New Audio: Gabriella Lima Shares a Quiet Storm-like Bit of Samba

São Paulo-born, Paris-based singer/songwriter Gabriella Lima relocated to Paris back in 2014. And since locating to The City of Light, Lima has been busy crafting material that pushes genre and cultural boundaries. 

Lima’s 2021 full-length debut, the nine-song Bálsamo found the Brazilian-born, French-based artist writing material that drew from soul, pop, samba, chanson and several other styles. Back in 2022, I wrote about album closing track, “Samba de l’amour,” a breezy song featuring twinkling keys, fluttering synths, strummed acoustic guitar and gently swaying samba rhythms paired with Lima’s gorgeous vocal singing bittersweet lyrics in French and Brazilian Portuguese detailing love gained and quickly lost. 

Lima’s latest single “Meu Lugar” is a Sade/Quiet Storm-like touch on samba and Bossa nova featuring an atmospheric yet percussive arrangement with strummed acoustic guitar that serves as a lush bed for the Brazilian-French artist’s achingly tender delivery.

She explains that the song’s lyrics talk about a deep emotional delivery and the transformation of an intense and true relationship.

New Video: La Sécurité Returns with Breakneck and Woozy “Ketchup”

Montréal-based art punk quintet La Sécurité features a collection of current and past members of Choses Sauvages, Laurence-Anne, Silver Dapple, DATES, Pressure Pin, and others. Since their formation back in 2022, the French Canadian quintet developed a sound and approach that meanders around the fringes of punk, New Wave and krautrock paired with jumpy beats, off-kilter arrangements and minimalistic yet melodic hooks, seemingly run through an insomniac filter.

While their music is razor sharp and danceable, their lyrical content is rooted in the feminist community-centric ethos of the Riot Grrrl movement. “It’s not just fun and games… it also bites. It’s catchy earworms delivered with a punk attitude,” guitarist Melissa Di Menna says. 

With the release of 2023’s Samuel Gemme-produced Stay Safe!, La Sécurité exploded into the national and international scenes, supporting the album with a busy period of touring with stops across the North American festival circuit, including M for Montréal, New Colossus and SXSW among others, as well as opening for The Go! Team.

Late last year, the JOVM mainstays shared “Detour,” a joint release with beloved indie label Bella Union and their label home Mothland. “Detour” continued where Stay Safe! let off: motorik grooves paired with spiky, off kilter arrangements and minimalistic melodic hooks that bring a synthesis of DEVO and the B52s to mind.

The Canadian outfit starts off 2025 with “Ketchup,” a breakneck post-punk ripper anchored around dizzying synth arpeggios and a distorted, down-tuned bass line paired with the JOVM mainstays’ uncanny knack for punchy, shout-along friendly hooks that continues a run of material that seemingly draws from Freedom of Choice-era DEVO.

The verses are coupled with a chord change that helps build the collective’s compelling case against small talk. And while the song isn’t about condiments; instead it sarcastically alludes to ketchup with the line “L’affaire est ketchup,” a Québécois expression meaning: “All is well.”
 
“Though we knew we wanted to write a song about small talk, when we started working on the music, I was mostly scat singing, save for the words ‘L’affaire est ketchup.’ Hence, the song title,” La Sécurité’s frontperson Éliane Viens-Synnott says. “We noticed while playing the song live, that the tune got people bouncing all over the place. The track seems to have that special energy. To keep that energy, Renny [Wilson] went all out with the production. To be fair, we did suggest that he made every track ‘clip.’”
 

Philippe Beauséjour, who directed the accompanying video, explains, “Upon listening to the song, I noticed that it was about small talk, and all these subjects that come up in conversation when we have nothing to say. These empty conversations are often about what ‘normal’ people see on television (weather forecast, news, funny ads…). The papercutting animations stem from my love for Terry Gilliam’s work.”

New Video: Combo Chimbita Shares Trippy and Meditative House-like “Dímelo”

Acclaimed New York-based Latinx group Combo Chimbita — Carolina Oliveros (vocals, guacharaca), Prince of Queens (synths, bass), Niño Lento (guitar) and Dilemastronauta (drums) — features members of New York-based Colombian folk collective Bulla en el Barrio, and in some way is a sort of related side project.

Combo Chimbita have publicly cited Sun Ra‘s Afro-futurism as a deep influence on their work and overall aesthetic — with the New York-based Latinx group crafting their own take, one, which they’ve dubbed Tropical Futurism. “The idea that the future doesn’t necessarily have to be this super white Western high-tech Star Wars stuff; that the indigenous ideas and culture of people of color, people of Latin America, can also represent a magical and substantial future,” Combo Chimbita explain. “It’s a vision that maybe a lot of people don’t necessarily think about often. The old and deep knowledge that indigenous people have of the land has been neglected for many years as part of capitalism and colonization.”

The band can trace the origins of their genre-defying global sound, which features elements of cumbia, electro pop and Afro-futurism to their late night, experimental jam-driven, year-long residency at renowned, Park Slope, Brooklyn-based world music club Barbés.  Those exploratory jam sessions eventually lead to their self-recorded full-length debut, 2016’s El Corridor del Jaguar. 

2016’s Lily Wen-produced sophomore album Abya Yala found the band further establishing their Afro-futurism-inspired take on cumbia and other traditional Colombian folk styles. Eventually, the acclaimed New York-based outfit caught the attention of ANTI- Records, who signed the band to the label and released their third album 2019’s Ahomale and their fourth album 2022’s IRE.

Recently Combo Chimbita signed to New York-based label Wonderwheel Recordings, who released their latest single “Dímelo,” their first release on the label, and the second in a series of recordings they did with renowned producer Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. Ticklah. “Dímelo” is a dreamy and mediative bit of Larry Levan era-like cumbia featuring a glistening cumbia-influenced rhythm guitar, jazz-influenced hi-hat driven drumming and a strutting bass line, shimmering synth arpeggio bursts and a remarkably catchy hook seemingly guided by Oliveros’ hypnotic wailing.

“Dímelo is an internal dialogue, a sonic representation of what it feels and sounds like to choose yourself. ‘Cuando por fin yo me elegí (I finally chose myself)’ is a phrase that repeats consistently throughout the track. “It’s an honest song,” says Carolina Oliveros, “that speaks on what it means to understand that for however much you may love someone, you can’t force them to love you the same way- that that is love you have to give yourself.”

For the band, in many ways, it’s the first trade in a return to the band’s roots and a hint of what’s to come from them sonically.  

The track will be available on 7″ alongside a remix by Busy Twist in March.

Directed by Andrea Buritica, the accompanying video for “Dímelo” features th members in front of the band in front of projections of VHS fuzz, New York, lighting storms, flowers and more. It emphasizes the trippy yet meditative nature of the song.