“Lucha” by Y La Bamba

A warm, dreamy march through Latin music memories.

Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!

Today’s music pick is a criminally underrated release from earlier this year, a dreamy journey through Latin identity and heritage.

Genre: Alternative, Latin, Folk

Label: Tender Loving Empire

Release Date: April 28, 2023

Vibe: ☺️

Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos, the singer/songwriter force behind Y La Bamba, has likened their music to “the echoes of my ancestors.” Listening to Lucha, their fifth LP and first of this decade, it’s easy to hear why. The vocals, often smothered in effects that give them an off-kilter quality, and the dreampop-inspired instrumentation work together to create a sense of unreality. There’s a familiarity and warmth to these songs, but a haziness as well, like conjuring up fond memories that you mostly remember but that fail to come into the sharpest possible focus.

Even if you don’t understand the Spanish lyrics on some of the tracks, the experience is utterly spellbinding, particularly when Ramos’ aching delivery is the driving force. “Eight” is a gorgeous, stripped-back opener that immediately puts you in ethereal territory, while their cover of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” incorporates whispers, chimes, and high-pitched, droning loops to arresting effect. And, for all the technical wizardry, the album never loses sight of Ramos’ Latin music roots, with whisps of mariachi and música Azteca weaving their way in and out of the soundscape like the kind of ghosts from your past you’re happy to see every now and again.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈

Got thoughts on this album? Did you love it? Sound off in the comments.