Cut Through The Noise: Kali Uchis, Cuco and The Marias, Gorillaz and Bad Bunny 

Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role as writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.

Kali Uchis – ‘Como Te Quiero Yo’ ★★★★☆

Kali Uchis’ new hit album, “Red moon in Venus,” has a song named “Como Te Quiero Yo,” which in English means “How much I love you.” The title reminds me of 90’s Mexican-American artist Selena Quintanilla who still inspires many artists today. Despite the titles being similar, the songs are nothing near each other. The song begins off with Kali Uchis’ heavenly voice in Spanish. I really enjoy the way she never forgets where she’s from and that reflects in her music. Almost every lyric is in “spanglish.” As the song continues, her voice gets faster and the verses are very well written along with her angelic harmonies in the back. Kali Uchis knows how to speak to her audience. It’s almost as if you can feel this song in your soul. The message of this song is sticking through the bad times with the person you love regardless of what anyone says.

Gorillaz and Bad Bunny – ‘Tormenta’  ★★★☆☆

The iconic band Gorillaz recently made a comeback with their new album, “Cracker Island,” which features iconic Puerto Rican rapper and reggaeton artist Bad Bunny. I was not expecting this collaboration when listening to this new album. “Tormenta” starts off with a nice uplifting beat that I believe represents both of the artists. Gorillaz starts the song off with a very soft voice that doesn’t fail to make a listener smile. Then, after a few seconds, you hear Bad Bunny’s deep voice that adds a lot of contrast to the song — but somehow it works. Bad Bunny takes pride in his language and his people. His verse is in Spanish and the lyrics are very romantic. His voice echoes and it blends in with the beat, then he picks up the pace to express his love. These lyrics are very well-written. This song made me feel like I was in a tropical storm, but I know there’s going to be a way out because of love. This song really emphasizes how special love is and really romanticizes the hard times because you can’t lose something so great. This song is truly uplifting and brings such joy whether you speak Spanish or not, because you don’t need to speak the language to enjoy art. I didn’t love both of the artists together, but it was still interesting to listen to. 

Cuco, The Marias – ‘Si Me Voy’ ★★★★☆

This was a collaboration I did not know I needed. The song, “Si Me Voy,” means “If I go.” The song begins with The Marias’ divine voice in a soft tone that brings you to a place of comfort. When the beat dropped and Cuco started singing, I, as a listener, began smiling. The song’s message is that even when you’re not by somebody’s side, their love is still with you. The song is very soft but still uplifting. What I enjoy about this song is that it is in Spanish. Both of these artists make music in English, but I’m glad that once they came together they used the one thing that they have in common to make a godsend of a song, which is that they are both native speakers. The song is a bit repetitive but that doesn’t matter because both of their voices just go so well together. The song feels almost as if you would blast it on a random night while just cleaning and enjoying your night.