After joining forces to release Love Potions in February 2021, Real Dead Boys members Blackcrow and Antmoney continued releasing music on their own terms through solo or collaborative singles with other members of the crew. However, earlier this year the young musicians once again got together to explore the field of emo trap through a sequel to the aforementioned EP. Love Potions 2 begins with “Sincero”, a melodic emo trap tune that sees both artists exploring love while displaying their Spanish flow with a beat that also features lo-fi and glitch influences. Afterwards, the Gnarly! produced “Trama” features Blackcrow and Antmoney singing about the substances one might fall for in the arduous process of heartbreak. Next, “Self-Destruct” finds the young musicians once again jumping on a Gnarly! beat to continue exploring the project’s topic of love, but this time around using their English rapping skills. Subsequently, “Bajo La Influencia” once again finds both Real Dead Boys using their Spanish singing skills to deliver a study of young love. Finally, Love Potions 2 closes with “Eternal Bliss 2”, a Gnarly! and Someone New production that finds Blackcrow and Antmoney flowing seamlessly as they display rapping and singing skills through a love, drug, and sex-filled ambiance.
As a whole, Love Potions 2 continues what Blackcrow and Antmoney started on the first entry with great success as now it feels like they’re even more comfortable with their own voices. Thus, showing a mastery of the sound while also expanding on it a little bit.
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we’re often more concerned
about being fancy rather than being human, or having a personality. it’s a sad, sad part of life led by capitalistic & materialistic ideals. After continuing his career with some singles here and there and constantly presenting himself in various events, Nolo835 kicked off 2022 by getting together with workhorse producer Ebano Flowlanski to provide a bombastic EP in the form of 01:30. 01:30 starts with the booming “01:30 Coche Bomba”, a boom bap track where Ebano gives Nolo835 the perfect soundscape for him to express everything that makes him angry about his life and the environment around him. Afterwards, “Violentiam” continues the energy presented in the first as Ebano provides another bombing production so Nolo835 can flex about his skills and reflect on various subjects. Next, “Vamo a prendel” displays Ebano’s more soulful exploration as he offers some laid-back production so Nolo835 can reflect on his past and present relationship with weed and its culture. Subsequently, “Misiles pa tu cabeza”, a track that features some more fantastic production from Ebano as Nolo provides a mix of flexing and conscious rap. Finally, the project closes with “Yo mejor ni hablo”, which serves as the most reflective and emotional track as Nolo reflects on different forms of love, relationships, and suicide. Overall, 01:30 is a great collaboration between Nolo835 and Ebano Flowlanski that will leave listeners wanting more work from them as this only serves as a sample of what they could do in something more than a single. Hopefully, this project will get enough listeners that they’ll be encouraged to do a full-length mixtape or album.
in the search for fame
humanity can be lost & that little sense of innocence that still existed is no longer there. After releasing music slowly in 2018 and 2019, singer/songwriter Gilmarie Villanueva grabbed 2020 and 2021 by the horns and decided to work harder than ever releasing various and an EP in the process. The beginning of 2022 is no different as the musician has released two singles and the reflective EP Vivir De Verdad. Vivir De Verdad starts with “Ley De Vida”, a track that kicks off with a spoken word section fueled by beautiful strings as Villanueva reflects on birth, only to later move on to reflecting to topics related to injustice, hate crimes and the struggles of living as a minority. It is perhaps a tune inspired a bit by her own experiences, but also by recent world events. Afterwards, the project delivers its title track, one that encourages listeners to appreciate their own beauty and to not pay attention to what others have to say or think regarding one’s appearance, particularly in the age of social media. Finally, the song “Me La Dedico a Mi” serves as a self-love anthem, especially after writing and presenting various romantic tunes in the past.
In conclusion, Vivir De Verdad is a short project that continues to demonstrate Gilmarie Villanueva’s abilities as one of the up-and-coming singer/songwriters in the scene as she provides introspective and thought-provoking music that should have audiences intrigued and looking inward and outward. faithful focas
slowly open their eyes to the lies they’ve been fed for decades. After starting their careers as solo artists by releasing singles and even EPs, musicians paopao, La Gabi, Villano Antillano, ARIA VEGA and Cami Da Baby got together for hembrismo, an international posse project where they try to cement themselves as the future of the culture. hembrismo starts with “pasto y espuma”, a reggaetón tune that finds the crew reflecting on sex and love and how smoking weed can serve as an escape from heartbreak. Then “diario” shows some of the artists’ storytelling skills through some R&B soundscapes. Next “roce” shows the musicians singing and rapping skills as they boast about their rapping and sexual abilities as well as their independence in a highly danceable track that lends itself for an easy visual adaptation. Afterwards, “paralelo” closes the first part of the project as the ladies explore much more romantic vibes in a song influenced by a bit of dancehall, afrobeat and reggaetón. “sábado” kicks off the second part of hembrismo as the group delivers another highly danceable reggaetón tune that can be perfectly combined with “roce”. Subsequently, “control” serves as another exploration between the dynamics of sex and power on another upbeat production. Finally, the EP closes with “hebilla”, another reggaetón song that finds the ladies exploring familiar territory displayed in the previous tracks. Thus, serving as a nice closure to a project that presents many of their strengths and what they can do together.
Overall, hembrismo is a short, but strong display of the present artists as they show what they can do on reggaetón, R&B and some dancehall and afrobeat influences sounds. Hopefully, their future finds them collaborating more and exploring even more genres. we always thinks we’re fair,
but in reality were more selfish than we think. the poets come out
putting their words to the air & exuberant crowds cheer as truths about their current existence are finally stated. life continues to get more & more expensive
y el salario no cambia y seguimos hundiéndonos como isla. “Aftermath”: Zafakón Expand on Sounds That Already Make Them Great & Reflect on Current Themes3/25/2022 After releasing a couple of albums in the mid 2010s, Zafakón became one of the faces of the heavy metal scene in Puerto Rico. But, as far as releasing music, after 2016 the band stayed relatively quiet except in 2020 where they released a single in the form of “Quieren Fuego”, a tune that found them reflecting on the recent major political events connected to the island. However, 2022 finds the band kicking things into gear as they start off the year with their latest project Aftermath. Aftermath begins with its title track, a blend of heavy, thrash and melodic death metal that shows the band displaying some apocalyptic storytelling elements in a tune that finds a bit of inspiration on the current pandemic. Afterwards, “Cancer of the Mind”, a thrash metal mosh pit that reflects on the current state of information distribution. Next, “Another Night Survived” finds the group touching on the topics grief, death, and suicide in a track the presents some heavy metal, blues, and melodic death metal influences. The first half of the project closes with “Burning Black”, a song that finds the ensemble reflecting on what could be a variety of subjects such as fighting for one’s dreams, the passing of time, and failure. The second part of Aftermath kicks off with “Apotheosis”, a thrash metal display where the band explores the topic of the song’s title along with religion, spirituality and, possibly, the way we blindly worship celebrities in a tale that could almost be described as Lovecraftian. This is followed by “The Revenant”, a melodic death metal track that finds the group reflecting on death and addiction as well as the subject of endless learning and how today we find ourselves addicted to constantly gathering information. Subsequently, “Ink Ribbon” is a laid-back instrumental that feels like music that could serve well in a movie or video game. Finally, “The Pale” closes Zafakón’s third album as they explore existential territory in a track that perfectly encapsulates many of the project’s themes and sounds.
In sum, Zafakón’s Aftermath is a project that presents the band as strong as ever as they continue to show their mastery over the craft while also providing an album that could be seen as individual songs or a loose story influenced by horror, sci-fi, apocalyptic fiction, the current pandemic, and their own experiences. it feels like
evil is constantly voted into positions of power. After starting her career behind the scenes on the side of production, musician Love Exhibit finally decides to display her singer/songwriter roots and vast taste of sounds through her self-titled debut, which was released last month. Love Exhibit starts with “High”, a slow and ethereal instrumental that will prepare listeners for the ride they will embark on. This is followed by “Body Care”, a relaxing ballad where Love Exhibit explores sensual love. Afterwards, “Cada Día” where Love Exhibit mixes her singer/songwriter skills with hip hop in a collaboration with rapper MalaCara. Next, “Fiel A Mi Alma” serves as another love story that finds the musician displaying her singer/songwriter skills along with her storytelling abilities. Then “María – 2017 Raw Unedited” is exactly what the title entails; it is a reflection on the hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico back in 2017, one whose emotional and storytelling elements are boosted by its raw and unedited recording. Subsequently, “Noviembre 4” serves as a reflection of love, relationships and death as Love Exhibit shows her rapping and spoken word talents. The first half of the project finishes with a ballad cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, a beautiful and different rendition of the pop classic. The second half of Love Exhibit’s self-titled debut starts with “I Should Of”, a collaboration with Paola Lebrón that finds both reflecting on having love figured out in a track inspired by synths and pop music. Afterwards, “Too Close” is another demonstration of Love Exhibit’s exploration of ethereal and otherworldly sounds in a track that could probably be considered dream R&B and one that could probably fit into a coming-of-age romance. Next, “Vulnerable” finds the artist exploring more electronic based sounds in a track that again feels out of this world. Following that is “Can’t Help Falling Love”, a new rendition of the classic, which finds Love Exhibit mixing her taste of dreamy soundscapes and experimental songwriting with the familiar song. Then, “Mamá” finds the artist paying tribute to her mother in a blend of otherworldly sounds and strings with singing and spoken word. Finally, “Unlove” an experimental way to close a project that already shows the artist’s willingness to explore the unknown as Love Exhibit again keeps listeners in familiar lyrical territory, but also guessing on the music side of things.
Overall, Love Exhibit’s self-titled debut is a love-driven project is a nice demonstration of the artists many artists as a singer/songwriter and producer as she explores different sounds while staying true to her roots. excitement
slowly builds as the time for school’s out approaches. After releasing a few singles across the pandemic, Bébe Bambú finally returns with another full-length project in the form of Come Coco, a project that sees him display his lyrical skills and more in an exploration of different sounds around and outside the hip hop spectrum. Come Coco kicks off with the danceable and head bobbing “No Seremos”, a hip hop song that mixes old school with new school as Bébe Bambú mixes traditional rapping and melodies on a resistance-fueled track. Afterwards, “Oasis del Kalahari” finds the artist exploring trap sounds in a party-themed tune that also shows some introspection. Then, in “Baila pa que llueva”, as the musician delivers a funk, soul and reggaetón record with love story elements. Next, “Guapetón” displays Bambú’s salsa influences as he reflects on appearances, toughness, peer pressure, and some of the darker sides of street life. Finally, the first half of the album closes with “Pimp Talk Interlude”, a short break from the music that samples a movie speech narrates elements of life in the streets. The second half of Come Coco begins with “Perreo Combativo”, a reggaetón and hip hop collaboration with La Cotto that finds both artists reflecting on the current political climate of Puerto Rico and stating their position regarding the situation. Subsequently, “El Calentón” is another mix of the artist’s salsa and hip hop influences in a track that will have some dancing and others headbanging. Successively, “Huracán” finds Bambú joining forces with Gigi V!bra in a string-fueled underground song as they use the hurricane as a metaphor for the strength that exists within a tight community and inside one’s self. Come Coco finishes with “Está Bravo”, a fantastic boom bap banger where the artist paints a picture of his neighborhood and some of the people inside it.
Overall, Bébe Bambú’s Come Coco is a project that finds Bébe Bambú exploring familiar musical and lyrical territory, but also mixing them with more recent events and sounds that are a bit outside of his comfort zone. Thereby, presenting his growth as an artist with some experience on his belt. envy can always drive us
into dark worlds where we lose ourselves & our humanity. After quite some time of inactivity due to the pandemic, melodic death metal band A Burning Rose finally comes back with their debut EP Dance Show, which serves as a presentation of the band’s sound and their potential as a heavy hitter in the scene’s metal underground. Dance Show begins with its title track, a raw and slow intro into the band’s version of the classic melodic death sound. Afterwards, the project moves to the smoother sounding song which bears the band’s name, one that wears perfectly blends the sounds that make melodic death metal what it is with a little bit of the rawness of black metal. Then Dance Show closes with “A Brief Farewell”, an excellent closure to this presentation letter by the band while also serving as a temporary goodbye as they continue to work hard on future live shows and recordings.
In sum, A Burning Rose’s Dance Show shows the band’s influences and their potential as a melodic death metal in the island’s underground while promising a future full of projects, be they live shows, singles, EPs or more. sometimes we need
a few words of encouragement from the most random of sources in order for us to finally do something. After starting his career with some singles here and there from 2019 to 2021, Ángel Bacó decided to present himself properly in 2022 with a project in the form of Draft Day, one that plays around with the EP and LP format as it provides seven songs in a 21-minute running time. Draft Day starts with “Ninguno Me Para”, a slow melodic trap tune that finds Bacó expressing his mission in the industry and how he feels like he’s going to blow up soon. Afterwards, in “De 0” displays his lyrical abilities in a much more traditional boom bap beat as he continues to reflect on his aspirations while mentioning some of his inspirations and part of his story. Next, “De 100” finds the young musician collaborating with scene member Incógnito in a tune where both display their singing and rapping skills in a beat which features influences from trap, dancehall and guitar-driven music. Then the first half of the project closes with “Piensa En Mi”, a reggaetón song that features the artist exploring the realm of love as he continues to demonstrate his fearlessness towards exploring different sounds. Ángel Bacó’s debut project starts its second half with “Dónde y Cuando”, another reggaetón tune that focuses on love which will definitely serve better in the dancefloor when compared to “Piensa En Mi”. Subsequently, “Juego” continues Bacó’s tackling of the reggaetón genre and love theme in a very danceable track that also features storytelling elements. Finally, Draft Day closes with its title track, a hip hop song that finds the artist reflecting on his career thus far, his struggles and what his aspirations are while showing some of his influences in the form of Allen Iverson and Michael Jackson.
In closure, Ángel Bacó’s debut project is a good presentation letter to a broader audience as the young artist demonstrates his skills within different realms of the hip hop, trap and reggaetón culture while also displaying his career ambitions. the little energy i have left
is used to type these words, which will make a short text that some might see as poetría & others as a waste of time. the andrew wk party spirit
filters through as i try to accept life for everything it brings while looking for ways to have a better one. they are endlessly romanticized
all across the art world & so many have lost their path due to ‘em. so many have even lost it all due to ‘em. just imagine what could’ve been if these were never there at all. After releasing their EP Fractions in 2018 and the single “Selfish” in 2020, one could say that metalcore band Modules has been quiet. However, after so much silence for a couple of years the group decided to kick off 2022 with a bang as they released their sophomore project, Detached, a 17-minute presentation that finds the ensemble reflecting on what they’ve been going through these past few years. Detached begins with “Revelation”, a mix of growling and melodic vocals that certainly leaves room for a nice mosh pit. Next, “Set Sails” serves as a display of the band’s blend of metalcore, djent and almost epic metal vibes. This is something they continue to successfully show with the following track, “The Portrait”, which also features some nice breakdowns that’ll certainly create all sorts of mayhem when performed live. Subsequently, “Prognosis of an Oracle” is a better display of the group’s djent influences as they reflect on what the future might bring. Finally, the project closes on “Fragmented”, a tune that finds them exploring the fragility of man and how fractured we all are and/or can be.
To summarize, Modules’s Detached shows that despite the few years without music, the band is as strong as ever as they managed to deliver another solid entry into their catalogue, one that’ll hopefully open doors for a potential album release soon after displaying their promising sound to a broader crowd. so many have been lost
due to this addiction. so many have been lost due to using it while driving. it’s such a big problem, such a difficult one to handle. i guess what we can do is just educate, be responsible y seguir pa’ lante. “Process”: Pequeño Robbie Acknowledges the Grind That Needs to be Done to Achieve His Dreams3/17/2022 After releasing a few singles all across the pandemic exploring all sorts of different sounds across the hip hop, trap, reggaetón and R&B spectrum, Pequeño Robbie finally delivers a much more complete presentation with the EP Process. Process begins with “Movimiento”, a rap track where the musician reflects on the first few steps of his career and what his aspirations from here on out while also flexing about his musical prowess. Afterwards, “Pequeño Harry” is a catchy, melodic rap tune where the artist again states his musical expertise while addressing haters. Then “Corredor de Bolsa” kicks in as a song where Pequeño Robbie reflects on the grind one must do before being able to get some money in the industry. Next, the musician closes the EP with “Mis Santos”, a blend of lyrical and melodic trap where the performer reflects on life’s mistakes and how he’s willing to work hard to achieve his dreams.
As a whole, Pequeño Robbie’s Process is a formal presentation letter for the masses who wish to have his sound packaged into the EP format. It is the type of project that introduces another musician following his dream and the amount of work he’s willing to put on his hands to achieve it. |
AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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