Listening Party

Sign in Subscribe

Album review: "Cachispa" by Sebimor

Album review: "Cachispa" by Sebimor

When they released their debut LP back in 2019, Sebimor was firmly in their lane as Puerto Rico's resident indie psych-rock band. That album, Badtrip, put them on the map with a specific sound that garnered them fans who felt fueled by the acid trip sounds of their

Album review: "desde mi cuarto" by Krystal

Album review: "desde mi cuarto" by Krystal

It's not particularly uncommon to discover an indie artist who has potential; most do, in fact. Part of the charm and appeal of following their careers is to witness that promise blossom as they continue to find themselves with each new release. But there's also a

Album review: "Cutie Pie :3" by Gyanma

Album review: "Cutie Pie :3" by Gyanma

Gyanma has been having himself quite a 2024. He kicked off the year with his own slot on RaiNao's hit debut LP, CAPICÚ, which also gave him the chance to delight the crowd during her smash live concert in June. Last month, he made a surprise appearance on

Q&A with Blackwill: "I’d say dark trap can be listened to just like any other genre"

Q&A with Blackwill: "I’d say dark trap can be listened to just like any other genre"

When your music can be described using words typically reserved for the sounds made by supernatural beings of fantasy and horror (i.e. gut-wrenching shrieks, hair-raising wails, guttural roars) then it stands to reason you'll get more than a few people asking "What the hell is this?

Q&A with water: "I need to get stuff off my chest because if not I’ll go crazy"

Q&A with water: "I need to get stuff off my chest because if not I’ll go crazy"

If the literary theory of “death of the author” can extend to an artist’s chosen moniker, then one could argue for a new spin on what water’s name means. A fairly new face in the Puerto Rican indie rap scene, water (stylized in all-lowercase) has been making a

Q&A with Andria Rose: "I never want someone to know what they’re gonna get from me, I never wanna be predictable"

Q&A with Andria Rose: "I never want someone to know what they’re gonna get from me, I never wanna be predictable"

Whether you’re familiar with the offshoot genre of dreampop or not, there’s something in Andria Rose’s newest project that scintillates the senses of anyone who gives it a listen. Her third EP in five years, Coming Up Roses is made up of six tracks that are a

Album review: "La Plebe"

Album review: "La Plebe"

Any person with even a cursory knowledge of the music industry knows that every album is a group effort. Beyond the headlining name on the cover is a team of producers, songwriters, A&Rs, and more that put the work in to make a project come to life. Over

Album review: "Poderío" by FOKINFROID

Album review: "Poderío" by FOKINFROID

In hindsight, it should have come as no surprise that someone who calls themselves Robi Caco online decided to dabble in rock music. For five years now, FOKINFROID has distinguished himself as a member of the alternative rock/R&B band Los Rarxs alongside members Vento Alejandro and Erre,

Album review: "Buscando Encontrarme" by Kevtopo

Album review: "Buscando Encontrarme" by Kevtopo

In a mediasphere where "views" and "likes" rule, it’s become nearly every hopeful artist’s dream to go viral. Not necessarily in the same way Justin Bieber or Tori Kelly did that started their careers, but in a way that’ll get maximum eyes and

Interview with Ana Macho: "I make music for a very nice and beautiful time and space"

Interview with Ana Macho: "I make music for a very nice and beautiful time and space"

Less than a year ago, Puerto Rican alt-pop songstress Ana Macho went into a sitdown interview with an idea: they would perform the whole thing in-character, but not just as "Ana Macho". Instead, they would add more levels onto their already fierce and fabulous personage. This time, as

Album review: "Inmortal" by Keysokeys

Album review: "Inmortal" by Keysokeys

The road women artists have to take to gain some measure of recognition and success in the Latin urban music industry has become, if not better paved, certainly wider over the past few years. This progress is due to the tireless effort of legends who were front ’n’ center since

Q&A with Matt Louis: "The conversations I have through my songs, I want to be about human experience"

Q&A with Matt Louis: "The conversations I have through my songs, I want to be about human experience"

The long, winding road of contemporary R&B’s rise in popularity might have started in the 1980s but arguably picks up steam in the 1990s during the breakout years of acts like Boyz II Men, Tevin Campbell, TLC, Dru Hill, Brownstone and more. Neo-soul acts like Erykah Badu,

Album review: "Numero1Uno" by Jan Mercé

Album review: "Numero1Uno" by Jan Mercé

After a few scant years withering on the vine, trap has once again surged in Puerto Rico and Latin America (or as Anuel AA succintly proclaimed: “Trap is back!”). While credit for its renaissance can be debated, it’s hard to deny a second wind is happening when stars like

Album review: "delincuente espiritual" by LaDí

Album review: "delincuente espiritual" by LaDí

The first thing you notice when you listen to LaDí is her voice. Not just in the obvious that-goes-for-every-singer way, but moreso its register: she manages to sound both like a close whisper and an ethereal transmission from deep space. Her first tracks, released under the name DiAnE, were rough

Q&A with GRIIEGO: "I don’t think there’s much difference between what I do and traditional pop"

Q&A with GRIIEGO: "I don’t think there’s much difference between what I do and traditional pop"

Hyperpop fills every empty space of a song’s running time. There’s no lull or pause that can’t be sealed with a beep, vroosh, or pew-pew. In Puerto Rico, where reggaetón and Latine trap reign together over music fan’s attention, some artists have staked out their own

Introduction

Welcome to Listening Party! For five years now I’ve been freelancing as a music journalist for various publications of note (Remezcla, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone), ostensibly covering what’s commonly referred to as Latine urban music. When I started this foray I was living in New York City, but three