For almost a decade now, one of the best bands to come out of the Puerto Rican independent music scene has been the surf rock ensemble out of Moca, Los Petardos! While initially their sound was predominantly a mixture of punk rock and surf rock, the group has never shied away from exploring more Caribbean-rooted sounds and blending them with their unique sound which they have deemed “rockanrol con gandules.” With their latest project, La Potoroca, the band continue to show off their surf rock style, but go deeper into their Latin background by adding a few salsa sounds into the mix and even making a bolero while keeping their trademark sound. Kicking off La Potoroca is the project’s title track, a display of the band’s trademark “rockanrol con gandules” with a little bit of hip hop by guest artist Ikol Santiago. Afterwards, the group show off their surf rock abilities to the fullest in “Y No Me Pueden Parar,” a tune which will surely have listeners dancing. Then the ensemble deliver two surf rock influenced ballads with “Holaluj” and “Mañanita,” the last of these which seems to be a reflection on the constant diasporic movements of the average Puerto Rican. Next, listeners are treated to the surf rock anthem “El espejo,” which served as the second single to La Potoroca with its own music video. Afterwards, Los Petardos! deliver their bolero “Esperanza,” an unexpected surprise that shows the band delving deeper into their Latin roots. Then the ensemble pay tribute to skateboarding with the surf rock tune “Ejkei.” Finally, the first half of the album closes with “La Bajura,” a funky Latin music influenced hard rock song that pays homage to the popular location in Isabela, Puerto Rico. The second part of La Potoroca starts with the psychedelic Latin rock tune “Cuando y cuando,” which features additional vocals by Alexandra Rosa. Then we are delivered “Trotamundos,” a Latin rock track that shows Los Petardos! exploring elements of electronic music. Next, we are taken into “La niña y el pulpo,” a story-driven Latin rock epic. Afterwards, the band deliver “El yoyo,” a funky surf rock song that shows the band showing off their Jimi Hendrix influences. Then they present “El gallo y los cometas,” a tune that kicks off as a Puerto Rican aguinaldo, but then shifts into Latin rock sounds. Subsequently, listeners are delivered an inspirational rock song in the form of “El llamado,” a track that presents the ensemble delving into their trademark “rockanrol con gandules” surf rock style. Next, Los Petardos! collaborate with the legendary San Germán group La Orquesta Happy Hills in order to display all of their Latin influence, particularly salsa sounds, in the tune “Princesita pan de Moca.” Lastly, the project finishes with “Buche y Pluma na’ma,” which is the band’s “rockanrol con gandules” rendition of the classic Puerto Rican tune. All in all, La Potoroca is another great project by the band out of the west side of the island as they explore genres they hadn’t touched, namely hip hop and electronic music, and go deeper into their Latin roots while still maintaining their blend of surf and Latin rock they often call “rockanrol con gandules.”
Listen to La Potoroca on Spotify All of the pictures in this article were found in Los Petardos!’s Facebook
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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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