Pet Door Show’s top 2021 releases by Latinx- and Hispanic-driven bands

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month here in the US, celebrating the achievements and culture of Latinx- and Hispanic-American communities. On the Pet Door Show on Shady Pines Radio, every Thursday 2–4pm (Pacific) I share a selection of my favorite tracks released in the past year by independent artists from around the world, and I’ve been celebrating this month by heavily featuring tracks by phenomenal Latinx- and Hispanic-driven bands from the US and abroad. And I want to share them!

So, arranged alphabetically below is a list of my favorite releases of 2021 and the end of 2020 by Latinx- and Hispanic-driven bands that I’ve played on the Pet Door Show, all by independent and underplayed artists who you may not have heard before. (You can also see last year’s much shorter list here.)

To make browsing easier, here too is a handy alphabetically arranged Spotify playlist of these releases (with the exception of Awful Year by King Shithead, which is not on Spotify). Since there are over 100 tracks on this playlist, I recommend opening it in Spotify and playing on shuffle. I also highly encourage purchasing and sharing anything you particularly like, bearing in mind that all of these artists are independent and with smaller followings so any support will be especially meaningful — you can find links to purchase and follow on social media in the list below.

Enjoy! Leave a comment on Instagram and let me know what your favorite tunes are, and tune in to the Pet Door Show every Thursday 2–4pm PDT on ShadyPinesRadio.com!

0

2AMature — Life Guarding Elephant
EP. Nov 20 2020.
Garage punk. Orlando, FL.
Favorite track: Water Socks

A

Andrea Acosta — Cartitas P.II
EP. July 25 2021.
Indie folk. Mexico City, Mexico.
Favorite track: En el Aire

Akacia — Cuecas Hechiceras Mallolafken
EP. Jan 17 2021.
Folk cueca. Pucón, Chile.
Favorite track: Cueca del mallolafken (feat. Pickúa Martinez, Roka y Nata Guadalupe)

Rosario Alfonso — Tranquila
Single. Nov 6 2020, Uva Robot.
Indie folk. Santiago, Chile.

Bella Álvarez — Canciones para una Casa Chiquita
Album. Aug 27 2021.
Indie folk. Medellín, Colombia.
Favorite track: Se Te Olvidó

Alisa Amador — Red Balloon / Milonga accidental
EP. Dec 11 2020.
Indie folk. Boston, MA.
Favorite track: Milonga accidental

Zia Amador — Circle
EP. May 1 2021.
Indie. Boston, MA.
Favorite track: Demon Child

Amo Amo — Rain Song (Live Acoustic)
2-track. Dec 17 2020.
Indie dream pop. Los Angeles, CA.
Favorite track: Rain Song

Antonioni — S/T
Album. March 26 2021, Lauren Records.
Indie rock. Seattle, WA.
Favorite track: Mouth Breather and Mary Bell

Apalau — Runas siderales
Single. July 2 2021.
New age folk. San Juan de Pasto, Colombia.

Avoada — A Pedra e a Janela
Single. March 3 2021.
Indie folk. Recife, Brazil.

Ayahuapu — Sigo una Luz
Album. Jan 21 2021.
Folk. Mexico City, Mexico.
Favorite track: Siente el Amor

B

Badecima — Phantano
Album. Sept 10 2021.
Indie dream pop. Berlin, Germany.
Favorite track: Andando en Bicicleta

B’aktun Cero — Saq Tx’otx’
Album. Jan 30 2021.
Folk rock. Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
Favorite track: Pedazo De Sueño

La Banda del Bisonte ft. La Muchacha — Nómada (Lado B)
Single. April 2 2021.
Psych folk. Antioquia, Colombia.

Ana Barroso — Cisco no Olho
Album. May 7 2021, Tratore.
Folk jazz. Jequié, Brazil.
Favorite track: Cacto

Bituin — Divina Cosecha
EP. March 17 2021.
Indie art folk. Bogotá, Colombia.
Favorite track: El Cosechero

Francisco Bobadilla — Trees
Single. May 2 2021.
Electronica. Red Bluff, CA.

Bone Haus — Pall Revere
Single. Oct 1 2021.
Metal. Boise, ID.

Bonnet — Vuelvo pronto
EP. March 10 2021.
Ambient folktronica. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Favorite track: No hay más humo

BoomBaptist — Komfort Food
Album. Feb 5 2021.
Hip hop beats. Austin, TX.
Favorite track: Komfort Food

Box of Matches — Catherine
Single. Oct 30 2020.
Indie. Martinez, CA.

Brother Smack — Brother Smack
Album. Feb 12 2021.
Hip hop. Los Angeles, CA.
Favorite track: Deja Foo

Kian Byrne — Morning Glow
Album. Dec 4 2020.
Folk singer-songwriter. Kansas City, MO.
Favorite track: More to Live

C

Dakota Camacho — Fanmagof
Single. Oct 30 2020.
Ambient electronica. Guam.

Nicolás Carou* & Camila Ferrari** — Navegamos por Lo Incierto
EP. July 8 2021.
Indie folk. Buenos Aires, Argentina* / Montevideo, Uruguay**.
Favorite track: De Alas y Pies

Melisa Castellanos — Granar
EP. Nov 6 2020.
Indie art pop. Mexico City, Mexico.
Favorite track: Finito Azul

Sophia Chablau e Uma Enorme Perda de Tempo — Sophia Chablau e Uma Enorme Perda de Tempo
Album. April 8 2021.
Indie rock. São Paulo, Brazil.
Favorite track: Pop Cabecinha

Chatterbox & the Latter Day Satanists — The Difference Between Thieves and Crooks
Album. Nov 26 2020.
Folk punk. Boulder, CO.
Favorite track: To Be Alive

cinnamine — Maybe
Single. Oct 23 2020.
R&B. Vallejo, CA.

Citrus Clouds — Collider
Album. March 5 2021.
Alt shoegaze. Phoenix, AZ.
Favorite track: Collider

Confío en tus amigos — Rápida comida
Album. April 23 2021, Gemelo Parásito Records.
Post punk pop. Valparaíso, Chile.
Favorite track: Paco y ladrón

Bere Contreras — Octubre
Single. Dec 4 2020.
Folk neosoul. Toluca, Mexico.

D

Gaby De Los Santos — Tropezando
EP. Nov 13 2020.
Indie. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Favorite track: Mentira

Bo DePeña — It’s About to Get Western
Album. May 28 2021.
Country. Laredo, TX.
Favorite track: Second Cup of Coffee

Dirty Bird — For the Time Being
EP. Feb 5 2021.
Indie folk americana. New York City, NY.
Favorite track: Devil’s Lettuce

E

Los Esplifs — Estraik Back
Album. April 20 2021.
Indie cumbia. Tucson, AZ.
Favorite track: Otro Pais

Ev — Cosas Que Probablemente No Van a Pasar
Single. July 1 2021.
Indie folk. Medellín, Colombia.

F

Farofa Tropikal — Vamos Dançar!
Album. July 2 2021.
Indie cumbia. Pará, Brazil.
Favorite track: Vamos Dançar!

Flerte Flamingo — Outras Duas Músicas de Flerte Flamingo
EP. May 28 2021.
Indie psych neosoul. Bahia, Brazil.
Favorite track: (Sozinho) A Gente Pensa no Conflito

Flor de Guayaba — Mujer
Album. May 28 2021.
Caribe folk. Concepción, Chile.
Favorite track: Iré a Aprender

Floresalegría — Curá y Sola
EP. Jan 29 2021.
Indie. Santiago, Chile.
Favorite track: Estratega

The Flying Cruisers — Open Up the Door
Single. April 2 2021.
Indie rock. Riverside, CA.

Fogo Pagô — O Abre Caminhos
Album. March 26 2021.
Indie folk. Bahia, Brazil.
Favorite track: Boca de Peixe

The Futurelics — Givin’
Single. March 27 2021.
Indie soul. Oakland, CA.

G

G-Stylez — Mellow Sesh (Mixtape)
Album. Dec 18 2020.
Hip hop. Alamosa, CO.
Favorite track: SmokeBreak

Gat Moony — Terry
Single. Feb 28 2021.
Indie americana. Seattle, WA.

Lainey Gonzales — Don’t Make Me Worry
Album. Aug 6 2021.
Indie pop. Austin, TX.
Favorite track: Banana Bread

Growing Pains — Heaven Spots
EP. Oct 23 2020.
Indie dream pop. Eugene/Portland, OR.
Favorite track: Drifting

Los Guanábana — Los Guanábana
EP. March 26 2021, Cambujo Records.
Reggae. Puebla, Mexico.
Favorite track: Jarocho

H

Heat Speak — Varnished Wounds
Single. March 19 2021.
Indie folk pop. Spokane, WA.

Hecsar — No emotions
EP. Feb 13 2021.
Indie surf pop. San José, CA.
Favorite track: Corazon de limon

Eddy Hinojosa — Rebel Country
Single. Oct 30 2020.
Alt country. Monterrey, Mexico.

Hit La Rosa — Las Ratas
Single. July 30 2021.
Psych surf rock. Lima, Peru.

I

Índio da Cuíca — Malango 5 Estralas
Album. May 5 2021, QTV Selo.
Folk pop bolero. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Favorite track: Stribinaite Camufraite Oraite

Laura Itandehui — Laura Itandehui
Album. July 16 2021.
Folk jazz. Mexico City, Mexico.
Favorite track: Yo no Necesito de Mucho

J

Jabid & Ararey — Aquí Sí Se Baila
Album. Nov 12 2020.
Indie merengue. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Favorite track: Aquí Sí Se Baila (feat. Yasser Tejeda)

Mia Joy — Spirit Tamer
Album. May 7 2021.
Indie dream pop. Chicago, IL.
Favorite track: See Us

Justo Antes de la Guerra con los Esquimales & Películas Geniales — TV
Single. Oct 23 2020.
Indie. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

K

King Shithead — Awful Year*
Single. Jan 14 2021.
Indie. Philadelphia, PA.
* Note: this one is not on Spotify, so it’s not on the Spotify playlist.

Kitty Kat Fan Club — All I Want is Love
Album on vinyl. July 9 2021, Asian Man Records.
Post punk. San José, CA.
Favorite track: Fly So High I See Clear Below

Kosmik Band — Sri Blues
Single. Feb 9 2021.
Indie devotional. Curitiba, Brazil / Los Angeles, CA / Chicago, IL / San José, Costa Rica / China / Clorinda, Argentina.

L

Laundry — Movie Star
Album. Sept 18 2021.
Indie psych rock. Eugene, OR.
Favorite track: Don’t You Dare

Romi López — Desfragmentador
Album. April 1 2021.
Indie pop. Mendoza, Argentina.
Favorite track: We’ll Wake

Diego Lozano — Les Niñes
Album. Dec 27 2020.
Indie folk pop. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Favorite track: Pipipipipi

M

Argüello Magud Ensamble — Signos del Agua
Album. April 23 2021.
Folk jazz. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Favorite track: Luna de Wesak

Mangalô — Fôlego
EP. May 7 2021.
Indie folk. Brazil.
Favorite track: Vento

Marinero — Hella Love
Album. May 21 2021.
Indie psych pop. San Francisco, CA.
Favorite track: Isle of Alcatraz

Mbé — Rocinha
EP. March 19 2021, QTV Selo.
Ambient folktronica. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Favorite track: Cerimônia (feat. Juçara Marçal)

mitimitis — terror en el autocine
EP. Oct 31 2020, Gemelo Parásito Records.
Lofi indie pop. Santiago, Chile.
Favorite track: autocinema

Raúl Monsalves y los Forajidos — Bichos
Album. Oct 16 2020, Olindo Records.
Bocón funk jazz. Caracas, Venezuela.
Favorite track: Bocón (feat. Luzmira Zerpa)

Mora Lucay — Bestia
Album. Nov 20 2020.
Indie folk pop. Valparaiso, Chile.
Favorite track: Sí Sí Sí

N

Nané — Nané
Album. Nov 13 2020.
Soul. Austin, TX.
Favorite track: Can’t Get Enough

Nkumba System — Bailalo Duro
Album. Nov 13 2020.
Cumbia. Bogotá, Colombia.
Favorite track: Este Bolsillo

Noturna — 10Km
Single. May 7 2021.
Indie dream pop. Belém, Brazil.

P

Rico Pabón & Headnodic — Never Mind the Title
Album. Oct 20 2020.
Hip hop. Bay Area, CA.
Favorite track: America***
***Pet Door Show’s Best Tracks of 2020

Andrea Paola — Cantos de Miel y Romero
Album. Oct 19 2020.
Folklórico. Caracas, Venezuela.
Favorite track: El mango

Parque de Cometas — Distancia
Single. April 16 2021.
Indie synthpop. Tijuana, Mexico.

Paula Ana — Pedrag’ouro
EP. Feb 28 2021.
Samba hip hop. Feira de Santana, Brazil.
Favorite track: Mente Sã

Playa Gótica — Anilina
Single. Nov 20 2020.
Alternative psych rock. Santiago, Chile.

Policias y Ladrones — Nubes
Album. July 8 2021.
Indie pop. Tijuana, Mexico.
Favorite track: Depresión

Pororó — Un Año Por Los Dos En Vivo Desde Caribbean Dream Studios
Album. Oct 18 2020.
Indie pop. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Favorite track: Ahí e’ “En Vivo”

Q

Quetzal — Puentes Sonoros
Album. Feb 12 2021.
Folk son jarocho. Los Angeles, CA.
Favorite track: Fandango Fronterizo (Fandango of the Borderlands) (feat. Cesar Castro)

R

Really From — Really From
Album. March 12 2021.
Alternative rock. Boston, MA.
Favorite track: Yellow Fever

Laura Rebolloso — Sones y Canciones para Reverdecer
EP. Dec 18 2020, Round Whirled Records.
Folk son jarocho. Xalapa, Mexico.
Favorite track: Mujer Rota

El Rey Sol — Pequeñas Conspiraciones
EP. Dec 30 2020.
Indie folk. Santiago, Chile.
Favorite track: Hijo del Sol Luminoso

Isa Reyes — Whistles
Single. Oct 30 2020.
Neosoul. New York City, NY.

Ridgeway — Buzzsaw
Single. July 23 2021.
Indie shoegaze. Dana Point, CA.

River Rats — Cream of the Crop Vol. 1 - Pick Me Up
Single. March 3 2021.
Alternative rock. South Bend, IN.

Suna Rocha — Veinteveinte
Album. Dec 2 2020.
Folklórico. Las Arrias, Argentina.
Favorite track: Jaulón (How Long)

S

Sabertooth Unicorn — Hail Santa
Christmas album. Dec 3 2020.
Post punk. Concord, CA.
Favorite track: Same Letters Same Guy

Samy Love — Mija
Single. Nov 24 2020.
Hip hop. Santa Ana, CA.

Yolanda Sargeant & Hello Moth — Hold Me Up
Single. Nov 1 2020.
Electronica. Calgary, Canada.

Scout Harris — Arsonist
Single. April 23 2021.
Indie. Portland, OR.

La Sexta Vocal — Un Poco Más
Single. June 6 2021.
Ska. Ocotepec, Chiapas, Mexico.

The Shaky Harlots — Horology (Demo)
EP. May 28 2021.
Punk. Ashland, OR.
Favorite track: Mimosas — Demo

Nala Sinephro — Space 1.8
Album. Sept 3 2021.
Electronica. London, England.
Favorite track: Space 3

Skirts — Great Big Wild Oak
Album. July 30 2021.
Indie bedroom pop. Dallas, TX.
Favorite track: Dayspell

Ches Smith & We All Break — Path of Seven Colors
Album. June 11 2021.
Vodou jazz. Brooklyn, NY.
Favorite track: Woule Pou Mwen

Dan Sonora ft. Xantilee Jesus, Glauco Medeiro — Meu Guardião
Single. June 26 2021.
Folk. São Paulo, Brazil.

Pale Lips* / The Sorels** — Do the Rumbar Rumble
Split album. July 23 2021, Rum Bar Records.
Rockabilly punk. *Montréal / **Winnipeg, Canada.
Favorite track: The Sorels — She’s in the Gang

T

TC Superstar — As Seen on TV
Album. Sept 17 2021.
Indie pop. Austin, TX.
Favorite track: Always a Feeling

Tlacuatzin — Deja Que Cora el Hilo
Album. June 27 2021.
Folk son huasteco. El Higo, Mexico.
Favorite track: Coplas Con Falsete

Trio Mossoró — Trio Mossoró
Album. March 27 2021.
Forró. Mossoró, Brazil.
Favorite track: Carcará

A Trupe Poligodélica — Oroboros
Album. April 23 2021.
Psych rock. Juazeiro, Brazil.
Favorite track: NaNaNa NaNaNa (feat. Galvöao)

Tufawon — Levitate
Single. Nov 14 2020.
Hip hop. Minneapolis, MN.

V

Vox Urbana — Relatos En Caravana
Album. May 1 2021.
Brass roots cumbia. Tucson, AZ.
Favorite track: Aunque el cielo se nuble

W

wescritor & Bia Giupponi — Tão profundo quanto o Pôr Do Sol
Single. Jan 28 2021.
Hip hop. Santos, Brazil.

Wild Powwers — What You Wanted
Album. April 23 2021.
Alt shoegaze. Seattle, WA.
Favorite track: SJR

Wizzerd* / Merlin** — Turned to Stone Chapter III: Wizzerd vs. Merlin
Split EP. July 16 2021, Ripple Music.
Doom rock. Kalispell, MT* / Kansas City, MO**.
Favorite track: Wizzerd — We Are (Single Edit)

Z

Sofia Zarzuela — 121 Elm Street
EP. Jan 20 2021.
Alt pop. Oberlin, OH.
Favorite track: Boys

Mia Zeta — Realidades
EP. Dec 4 2020.
R&B soul pop. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Favorite track: En Cada Momento

You did it! You reached the end! Well done you. Want to hear more music? Check out this playlist, the Big Pet Door Show Playlist, which contains every track I’ve ever played on the Pet Door Show! Tune in live on Thursdays, 2–4pm PDT / 5–7pm EDT / 10pm-midnight UK, on ShadyPinesRadio.com.