With the release of their new single “Cartagena” Los Angeles-based Reyna Tropical has officially announced the imminent arrival of their debut album Malegría, out March 29th via Psychic Hotline. She will also be playing two coast-to-coast shows: one in New York and the other in Los Angeles at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Thursday, April 4th. The record represents both a milestone and culmination of a massive shift in the life of singer/songwriter and producer Fabi Reyna, who shared the project with fellow producer Nectali “Sumohair” Diaz before he passed.
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With “Cartagena” Reyna immerses you in a flurry of radiating rhythms and tones that assuage the soul in their warm embrace. “Luna pa’ las hierbas / Me estás curando,” she sings over a buoyant exchange of drums and glowing riffs. “Agua en mis venas / Me estas cuidando.” The song spurs an emotional connection not just to the land as a means of cultivating a space for healing and rediscovering one’s roots but also an environmental reverence.
Everything about the track seeks to kindle a feeling that’s dually urgent and liberating in its expression. From its delightfully dizzying instrumentals to the enchantingly robust glow of Reyna’s vocals that light the way, the single is an invitation to join them at this place of rest. One discovered as much through self-reflection as surrender: “Ay, que me cargue la corriente / Que me acaricie el ambient.”
“Cartagena” joins “Lo Siento” — one of the singles released in the aftermath of Diaz’s passing and also featured on the forthcoming album. After agonizing over whether or not to continue the project they shared and molded together Reyna decided to turn Reyna Tropical into a solo vehicle with which to keep plunging into the diaspora of culture and music they explored and championed.
In many ways, the two remain intimately tied, with Diaz’s illustrious and ever-spellbinding beats appearing on both tracks. While across Malegría Reyna Tropical entwines the sounds of Congolese, Peruvian, and Colombian rhythms with the timeless talents of lesbian guitarist-singer Chavela Vargas to create a record that implores those on the margins to step into the center together.
“I’ve always wanted to have a home—a place or a sound or a person to go to—because I think our people, who are severed from our lands and our histories and our stories and our communities, have for generations not really known where to go,” Reyna said. “There are times on stage where I can feel that my movement isn’t my movement. I can feel that I’m being moved by and I’m speaking for other people. I know in my body when my ancestors are there, when a decision is ours.”
Words: Steven Ward
See Reyna Tropical at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 4th.
Malegría the new album from Reyna Tropical arrives on March 29th via Psychic Hotline, pre-order it here.
Visit Reyna Tropical on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Listen to “Cartagena” the new single from Reyna Tropical below!
