Son Rompe Pera – Batuco [AYA Records; February 2020]

2020 musically opened with some sort of shock. Back in February, from Ciudad de México, the Gama brothers brought us an incendiary blend between the mellow sound of the marimba and its traditional significance, and the subversive drive of punk-rock and rockabilly.

Batuco, the debut album of Son Rompe Pera (the band led by Kacho and Mongo Gama), is moved by the sounds you can hear wandering Mexico City’s streets. It’s deep-rooted cumbia rhythms and punk attitude, Mexican folkloric repertoire and ska uptempo. Add the precious help brought by Macha and Chico Trujillo and you have a cluster time bomb ready to release its pan-Latin rhythms all over the place.

Marco Canepari