Perreandola is a bold, unflinching look at the ripple effects of capitalism through the lens of experimental reggaeton. At times abandoning, abstracting, and advancing the building blocks of reggaeton, Perreandola asks the listener to set aside popular convention and share in the most fundamental journey there is - self-discovery through art. Surviving capitalism takes the very essence of the individual and sells it, something growing more inescapably true with each passing day. Perreandola ruminates on this for 17 tracks, experiencing the full cycle of heartbreak, hopelessness, survival, and joy side by side with the listener. Experimental composition and individual research ensured that no two songs had the same approach to or view of the central question the album asks - what can we create with the time we have?

 

No Vuelves opens the album with haunting minor chords that transform into soaring percussion and vocals. Warnings of “no resurrection” are a brutal reminder that, as many tie their identity to income and career, their time on Earth continues to dwindle. The juxtaposition of bright reggaeton beats and existential lyrics set the wry tone of the first half of the album.

 

Darker Places expounds on this theme further still, asking how one can maintain their humanity while seeking the capitalist definition of success. The constant tension between people’s deep fear of poverty, their proximity to it, and the prevailing “gospel of wealth” is present in the song’s simmering restraint.

The first interlude of the album, Chihuahua in a Bubble, is meant to evoke very literal imagery. Inspired by a viral video, the song channels the emotions of a small dog who can see its aggressor but not touch them. The person holding the camera enjoys the dog’s impotence, provoking it further and safe in the knowledge that they are untouchable. The metaphor of a sadistic oppressor and a caged victim with no outlet for its rage resonated deeply with Jose Luigi.

Continuing the analogy of ‘proletariat as dog,’ Medias Noches is told from the point of view of Midnight, a beautiful rough collie emblematic of capitalism’s collateral damage. The rigid boundaries and infighting that the current system encourages and relies upon extend to gender, something even a pet can not escape. Midnight’s so-called ‘feminine’ traits, such as long hair and attachment to his owner, led to him being called “perra,” Spanish slang for “bitch.” Asking if he is a ‘good boy,’ Midnight wonders what he has done wrong to be treated poorly, not realizing that he is a victim of a perfectly functioning, unjust society.

 

The Profit takes advantage of a fortunate cognate to draw parallels between the search for wealth and the pursuit of higher understanding. The idea of profit has gained such an inflated importance that it has become a religion unto itself. The distorted melody is in harmony with the distorted message.

 

Al Fin feels much like the lucid dream it describes. Musically and thematically, it is a release from expectations and an ending of one life to begin another. The euphoric vision of life bending to the one living it rather than the other way around is a flash of purity and triumph. Drawing from tribal legends such as DJ Eric Rincon, the song is a moment of clarity, cleansing, and catharsis.

 

Effortlessly blending reggaeton with trance, Credit compares money to a drug addiction. Those who have it want more, and those without it can think of little else. The wry comparison is made more poignant when one considers the treatment of addicts as compared to the treatment of the impoverished; each receives disdain and judgment rather than decency and aid.

 

In Interlude 6:1, drummer Daniel transports listeners to a forest clearing, their only companion the wind and water. The guilt that accompanies relaxation in a non-stop society plagues even this idyllic scene, the urge to define oneself by their production all but inescapable, until solitude and nature are fully embraced. Leisure and rest are no longer at war with labor but have instead entwined to create a new meaning of fulfillment. 

 

Bruja Burbuja is an indulgent ode to lust. As if under a spell, the singer is searching for the ‘witch’ that has captured his attention. The physical attraction that drives people to act counter to their self-interest is compared to a trance, broken by ‘devil’s laughter.’ Coined by Arthur Schopenhauer, ‘devil’s laughter’ is a coy description of post-orgasmic clarity, describing the moment of awareness that follows giving into one’s basest desires.

 

A meditation on income inequality and class disparity, In Tent Cities describes the ‘scraps’ given to those under the thumb of the ruling class. The apocalyptic undertones of the opening melody reinforce the proximity of poverty for all. As the song continues, it samples the voice of a man experiencing homelessness in Ciudad Juarez, captured in a viral video.

 

Fusing strong riffs with vivid storytelling, Xoxotlán is sung from the point of view of the land itself. The song begs the listener to be gentle stewards and intentional residents, caring for each other as they form a commune based on the principle of intentional living.

 

Rapper Wox from Ciudad Juarez features on Chingazos, which highlights the idea of solidarity. The singer urges cooperation among the working class in order to spend energy and resources to fight the true enemy—those keeping them down. Pitting the have-nots against each other is the lynchpin of oppressive systems, and this song urges its removal.

 

Interlude: Nato’s futuristic sound encourages the listener to look forward with hope while still holding the expectation of labor and hardships thrust upon people from birth. 

 

Small Bands hearkens back to the days of hyper-local ancestral communities, calling on people to break the bonds of capitalism, corporatocracy, and consumerism. It asks the listener to choose a different path forward, one characterized by companionship and cooperation.

 

Continuing the themes of hope and community, Pista del Baile urges human connection through dance and creative expression. The age of man as it is known today is coming to its dramatic conclusion, and this song characterizes the coming era as one of carefree hedonism. Just as life finds a way to heal the wounds that industrialism has inflicted upon it, people find a way to generate joy and art.

 

Ampollas, Spanish for ‘blisters,’ reminds people that time and money can not be reclaimed, so must be enjoyed. The wistful tone drives home that life is all too brief, and one must be mindful of their passage through it.

Closing out the album is Viral, a cautionary tale about the fraught and toxic relationship between people and the Earth. The virus sings to its host that it must be believed and taken seriously, at the risk of mutually destructive comeuppance.

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– Adrienne Brown