075. MC Peligro - “Mata de Vaina”It’s truly hard to refer to “Mata de Vaina” as a bona fide. One can sense a tailored posture from a mile away. But for what it is, MC Peligro crafted a mantra as catchy as anything from Bomba Estereo and with a terrifyingly risky hook one would swear America Sierra or Kali Mutsa were behind it. “El solo te quiere pa meterte en la cama,” warns a voice of reason as it prepares for the arpeggiating of the chorus. Ethel’s vocal delivery is inhibited, uncouth, and a gripping -a wholesale in the broadest definition of the word. - Carlos Reyes
074. Beach Beach- “Just Like Before”
I'll skip the summertime references (I mean, they already named their album The Beach) and just credit it as the standout from an album replete with irresistibly catchy songs. Not that there's anything particularly groundbreaking on "Just Like Before," this is jangly power pop that's always delivered. But after months of repeated listens, we can also appreciate details that see decades of twee blended into one seamless product. - Giovanni Guillén
“Palapa” didn’t do much for Porter. In fact, it did more harm than anything else. Which is why when the band unveiled “Murciélago” everyone stopped for a second to ask: is there something here? And oh boy, there sure was. Although not an entirely great record, Moctezuma was a pleasant surprise. Its opening number hits it big (Vetursta Morla has been trying to make this song for years), striking for the epic rock eras of Caifanes and its rising vocals and synth crescendos certainly push them there. - Carlos Reyes
“Orientación Vocacional”
We didn't see Capullo’s album return in 2014 but this can only mean we should have a proper follow up to the tropical-arcade / rubbery-aquarium pop masterpiece of Testigos Del Fin Del Mundo by Summer 2015? "Orientación Vocacional” indicates that they're ready to add guitars and address their almost alchemical approach to pop music, coming out sounding more like easy listening Capullo over their frenetic Top 40 bangers. “Practicare los trucos, aunque sea en los baños” Capullo bemoans, accepting that they have been fated to be underrated among Mexico’s pop wizard elite. - Zé Garcia
Building a track out of a tropical beat and a Mercedes Sosa vocal sample from a Violeta Parra cover sounds like challenging and dangerous territory if you’re not named Chancha Vía Circuito. But Sonora, being a producer that has always valued concept over aesthetics, synthesizes his folkloric sample into both a legitimate banger and a haunting tune, thus being a lot more than a simple hybridisation exercise. It’s a track for nostalgic loners as much as it is one for insatiable clubbers, and a fucking good one at that. - Pierre Lestruhaut
070. Daniela Spalla - “Folk Japonés”If you’ve ever visited this website, you know Club Fonograma isn’t afraid of pop. And definitely not folk-influenced pop. And Daniela Spalla is one of the finest artists working that game today. “Folk Japonés” is a rollicking, insanely catchy ditty that’s also expertly crafted. If there were even a hundred artists putting stuff like this out, there’d be no need for year-end lists, cause we’d all know exactly what was great. Kick ass music video too. - Andrew Casillas
“Escucho Mucho”
Is anti-folk back or was it never gone? If you ask me, Juan Wauters’ solo project has all the musical rawness and the naivety of the lyrics of his band The Beets but with the addition of a bit of self-irony and touches of crooner tics. Yes, Wauter's is resourceful only at the surface. “Escucho Mucho” is maybe the best example of this mixture in his first album, not by coincidence called North American Poetry. - Glòria Guso
“Sin ti no puede estar tan mal”
You can say a lot about Ximena Sariñana, but you can’t say she lacks ambition. She could have retreated and rehashed her debut album, judged reality shows, and collected dem checks till she’s sixty. Instead, she went and gave us some of the raw big-budget pop since Julieta Venegas sported a nose ring. This is pop shaded entirely in gray, the type where you can’t even trust your own smile. Oh man, those crunchy guitars though. - Andrew Casillas
"Failed" represents the most solemn and haunting movement on Xen. It plays like the soundtrack of a generation long-suffering from fomo anxiety and new-bovarysme; young people who covet what his neighbor posts and cannot escape vicarious living. The strangest thing is that Arca achieves this with probably the most lucid song of his career: Is this what the real world is like? Let's pray Alejandro Ghersi takes us there again soon. - Giovanni Guillén
“Vista Pro Mar,” instant hymn and title song of SILVA’s second LP, is a journey among froth and heaven, through the glimpse of nostalgia and amazement. The very first line “Eu não nasci do mar / Mas sou daqui / Já mergulhei pra não sair” sets the half introspective half hopeful tone over the fascinating sonic seascape that’s about to unfold. The Vitoriense who’s behind the emergence of Brazilian dream pop outlines, through resonating sax & trumpets, radiant strings and breezy synths, the ocean, its scope, its cyclical life and its sovereign rhythm. - Souad Martin-Saoudi
feat. Miriam García- “Coplita”
"Coplita" is a cleansing folk magic piece to release the bad vibes obstructing you from harmony. Of course it's not traditional -Chancha's pristine beats are steaming out of a fancy computer after all. It's obscure and sensitive in its rhythm, as if it transporting us to a pagan place with fireworks and a commune of people dancing around. Call it post-modernism, but Chancha's assessment of roots and heritage are taking him to a next level -sounding like both, the past and the future. - Stella Vásquez
I don't know about the rest of O Tortuga, but drummer Osmar Espinosa is the funniest, most romantic troller online (and quite a character in person too). Which is why it wouldn't surprise me to find out "Cool" is somewhat inspired by Maná's "Oye Mi Amor." Not musically of course. "A mi me da igual, nunca voy a ser genial," warns a character after realizing his lack of fashion has made him worthless in the eyes of the bourgeoisie/fresa girl he's in love with. The story seems out of a telenovela, but the band shows no defeat in the urgency of their fast and dazzling delivery. - Carlos Reyes
While SVPER seemingly are in no rush to expand on their debut, we couldn't be more impatient. The first new track since 2012, "Nuevo Cisne de Piedra" delivered all the trademarks of a SVPER song, but thankfully didn't just settle for baby synth swells, it billowed like a sandstorm that bravely ran past the five minute mark and even had vocalist Luciana deliver a rapturous performance. Well damn, guys, no rush. This can probably hold us over until album number two. - Giovanni Guillén
CLUBZ premiered their stunning new single, “Épocas”, during the first days of the month and it quickly became one of the year’s best tunes. If you’re familiar with CLUBZ live performances then you’re definitely familiar with this song—a complete favorite on their sets. Recalling “Everything Is Embarrassing” in its chorus, “Épocas” is affecting nostalgia turned into unforgettable hooks. There’s an ever melancholic feeling that permeates the whole track, which, balanced with those upbeat drum machines and colorful guitar licks, establishes a pretty bittersweet realm. - Enrique Coyotzi
061. Installed - “Pasión en capítulos”We didn’t hear anything from Installed this year until these last couple of days when he released his latest, Pau Pau Pau. Unlike its silent release, the EP opens loudly with the murky, insane “Pasión en capítulos." Just like Fernando Álvarez can play effortlessly with beautiful soundscapes, he can fuck up the listener and disrupt the mind with dense texture as well. The track playfully unravels, ornamented by Installed’s usual vocal tricks, until it steps into Guácala Los Modernos y su Electro-like dissonance and all hell breaks loose. - Enrique Coyotzi
060. Fakuta - “Fugitivos”
Carlos Reyes once commented to our staff how Fakuta's brightened canvas might have gone too far on Tormenta solar. One could find some truth to this on a song like "Fugitivos," the damn thing is as bright as an Aurora light show. Yet because it doubles as an escapist anthem, there's an undeniable rush in submitting to its crowded structure. Electronic drums crash, synths pour in from all directions. Let's be fugitives, she tells us. You'd be crazy not to follow. - Giovanni Guillén
In a hit-packed record like Terror Amor, practically each song was a highlight. However, one of the most cheerful moments came with the deeply melodic “Ya sé”. Handclaps, whistles, a breezy guitar, and the assistance of Juan Cirerol and Dax Díaz build an irresistible, venomous and uncomplicated garage rock cut that’s bound to get stuck in your brain for days. Ridiculously catchy and wonderfully striking, “Ya sé” showcases AJ Dávila’s privileged talents as a pop songwriter. - Enrique Coyotzi
A throwback to the golden age of soft rock, “Triste Ojos” delivers a classic sound without engaging in full-on nostalgia. Indeed, Tijuana newcomers Ramona crafted a mini-epic around impending lost live; or rather, the knowledge that loss is inevitable—which is an even scarier proposition. Like the protagonist in its forefather, “Cathy’s Clown,” our hero knows that he’s about to crash into Earth, but he’s gonna smile the whole way down. - Andrew Casillas
Only a year after their first EP Camins, Desert came back earlier this year to introduce us to the summer and to their newest (and certainly best) work to date: “Saps Prou Bé.” Here we have over six minutes of devotional music with clatters and bumps of percussion. And by devotional I mean light, soft, evolving melodies that seem to get one higher accompanied by Cristina’s voice and haunting vocals. - Glòria Guso
“Color Piel”
The keystone for electronic music is to succeed in creating something like an interiority without succumbing to some sort of hermetic art. El sueño de la casa propia’s vibrant and cohesive elemental landscape illustrates that principle. “Color Piel” gives a glimpse at José Manuel Cerda's further exploration of undefined shapes, textures and resonance. The sonic collage of chops and glitches leaves the abiding impression of a distant memory creating a universal truth beyond time and place. - Souad Martin-Saoudi
“Métele” is the confirmation that Raquel Berrios is a truly great pop songwriter. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t recorded better songs than this one, but her greatest tracks so far have succeeded mostly in sound and aesthetics rather than pure songwriting -- feeling exactly like the work of a DJ gone pop singer. “Métele” on the other hand, without relying on the unearthing and flawless use of an obscure sample, is where Buscabulla finally achieves writing a solid song without using her cheat sheet of cool samples, finally delivering a truly great traditionally crafted pop song. - Pierre Lestruhaut
054. Javiera Mena - “Esa Fuerza”If Otra Era is Javiera Mena growing into her queer dance pop star shoes, then "Esa Fuerza" is her first steps in those shoes. About finding the strength that's always been within, the fuerza to recognize your own greatness and let go of what and who is holding you down, it's an exhilarating, teetering on the line between brilliant and cheesy anthem of self-love and self-empowerment for the dance floor. The song goes from blunt and matter-of-fact to focused and determined to outright exuberant. And that wooo! is the album's cutest moment, like Mena's a lil surprised by herself but also absolutely tickled by what she's uncovered. - Blanca Méndez
More than filling the void of a latino rapper in the game (a relevant one that is), Kap G’s burgeoning in music is one of true promise and revelation. While the assaultive moments in Like a Mexican received the promotional treatment, the gorgeously nuanced “RIP” came to confirm the chicano had yet to ran out of tricks. Call it a small feat of crooning or a flash of self-conciousness (even if he brags, you can't help but to root for the guy), Kap G’s R&B immersion is one truly beautiful to witness despite the dichotomy of the booty calls he’s choosing to leave behind him. - Carlos Reyes
052. Ases Falsos - “Mi Ejército”As if you needed any more proof that Cristóbal Briceño writes some of the most affecting lyrics in Latin pop/rock today, “Mi Ejército” is likely to be the most layered and affecting song in an album full of them. Joined this time by Martín del Real in songwriting duties, Briceño ostensibly sings from the perspective of Ernesto Che Guevara, tackling themes such as the personal sacrifice that’s required of putting political ideals above everything else, a man struggling with doubts about his own ideals, and the hard realization that some revolutionaries are just destined to die fighting for what they believe in. - Pierre Lestruhaut
051. Planta Carnívora y Adrianigual - “Maracanaso”
No joke: I cannot believe how much I love this song; an alternative reggaeton song that’s somehow entirely about fútbol but also NOT about fútbol. BUT MY LORD IT’S ALSO THE VIDEO OF THE YEAR. Anything with a MS Paint Squirt logo instantly gets my vote for greatest thing in the world. And you can dance to it! Gold stars to everyone involved. Oh, and before I forget: fuck Arjen Robben. - Andrew Casillas