Valentina is like a lo-fi princess. Her debut album was recorded by herself in her own bedroom, and she killed it. In live gigs, she plays with a guitar and a friend in the drums, nothing else.
She is planning to release an album this year with Umami Discos (Denver, Playa Gótica) and to conquer the world, and I know she will.
♪♫ Listen: “Más-Turbo-Acción” + album stream
A piece of summer to hold on during the winter and to enjoy under the sun. Sebastián Lozano did a great work with these six songs, “Amor de Balneario” is all about love, dance and warmth, pretty much like “surf pop from eighties beaches”.
Don’t let this Chilean youngster slip through your hands, pay attention and enjoy his work.
♪♫ Listen: “Fichas de Flipper” + album stream
Let’s dance. Let’s sing. Let’s have fun. This trio will make you move your feet, even if you don’t want to. The rhythms they use are a mix between different styles.
The use of pop culture to create their lyrics, they talk about internet, football players and highways, represent a generation of Chilean musicians.
♪♫ Listen: “Vitamina C” + album stream
This album has an anecdotal story: It was released two times. The band published an unfinished version, deleted it after some weeks and months later they released the final version.
They blamed the impatience. Patio Solar’s second LP is a new approach to their feelings, it’s way more serious and less pop than “Temporada” (2015) and “Los Movimientos” (2016).
♪♫ Listen: “La cresta de la ola” + album stream
Patio Solar on Facebook.
This is not what everyone expected to hear in this band’s second LP. The hard, punk-ish sound that they created in their debut is way different than “Dimensiones” melodies, but that’s not a bad thing.
The risk they took by making this album with less guitars and more synths is remarkable, as well as the maturity they reached in their lyrics.
If you go see them live, you’ll be pleased to dance and rest between songs from both albums.
♪♫ Listen: “Dimensiones Paralelas” + album stream
It is kind of risky to publish a 17-song album as your first record, but this band did it anyway and it worked.
The quality of the sounds this band managed to create is truly amazing and show that you don’t have to play safe.
Playa Gótica’s “Amigurumi” captivated fans from all over the world and some journalists (they got featured in a Rolling Stone’s article).
♪♫ Listen: “Pigman (Aburrida en la tienda)” + album stream
They are from Antofagasta, the north of Chile. “Patio” is the first EP of this young band, but not the last. Later they released a second one, “Otoño”, and they plan to publish an LP in 2018.
LATSS’s sound is special. Their music talks about love, sadness and their hometown, but without the melodies they play and the singer’s voice, their songs wouldn’t work. They are one for each other.
♪♫ Listen: “Bicicleta (Live)” + album stream
Niña Tormenta made a great job with her nostalgic, chill and warm 9-track new album “Loza”, that perfectly resembles her feelings.
The LP was recorded in her house, that’s why Galaz did not only feel comfortable, but she also took advantage of what was happening around her house.
Rain from the sky, sadness from inside her and love from her family and friends made her first album a fine piece of art that ought to get straight into everyone’s heart.
♪♫ Listen: “Va a Llover hasta el domingo (ft. Diego Lorenzini)” + album stream
Being a band with three albums is hard if you think of the fans that waited for the fourth. Protistas could have disappointed those fans, they could have messed up their career, but they didn’t.
Niña Tormenta’s voice and ukulele complements perfectly the guitar riffs in a couple of tracks. “Microonda” is an album that demonstrate why this band is one of the biggest ones in Chile since 2010.
♪♫ Listen: “Entre los dos no sumamos uno” + album stream
It took some time but they finally showed the world their first long-play album. The LP explores with more fidelity the band’s sounds.
A little punk, a little pop. You decide what to hear in this record that came as an early Christmas present. Paracaidistas has a lot to offer and “Bruxar” is a perfect salesman.
♪♫ Listen: “Bruxar” + album stream
The third LP of this post-hardcore band stays on the track their songs have been walking on since they started.
Lyrics that make references to Greek tragedies and social conflicts complement perfectly with the raw and hard melodies the five members have managed to express into ten songs.
♪♫ Listen: “Coéforos” + album stream
Five friends who play whatever they want. “Dangerous music that you can dance to” is what this band does in their first solo record (they made a split album with Columpios al Suelo in 2016).
The group released these six songs that demonstrate the meaning of their EP’s name: “Death is a lie” in Halloween, making witches, superheroes and zombies dance to their guitars, drums and trumpet.
If you ever come to Chile, do yourself a favor and dance to these “cretins”.
♪♫ Listen: “Gata Ganter” + album stream
This trio has been together since they were children. They live in the same neighborhood and they started getting noticed in 2016. The release of their EP not only confirmed that their music sound perfect in live gigs but they also made us crave for more.
The five-song album is a journey through Chile’s society and nature, “Panul” is a forest in La Florida (Santiago) and “Viaje al Mar” talk about coming back from a trip to the beach with your friends. This record is a perfect example of what friendship can achieve.
Alejandro, Javier and Sebastián have a lot more to share and I hope their music will be around this year.
♪♫ Listen: “Las Condicionantes” + album stream
This young artist’s album –who started his career by uploading EDM beats to SoundCloud – surprised many people who didn’t know trap music in Chile.
“SSR Mixtape” talks about many topics, such as love, hate and art, but the third song “Siempre Triste” (Always Sad) is the one that young people embraced as an anthem.
It looks like Gianluca will be around for a while, he released an EP in November and he’ll release his second mixtape “G LOVE” in 2018. We’ll have to keep an eye on this guy.
♪♫ Listen: “No te Vayas” + album stream