Release Date: 13 February 2026
Song Count: 11
Duration: 37 minutes, 16 seconds
Rating: 7.4/10
Description:
On the same date as yesterday's act emerges the fourth album and the ten-year anniversary of Mexican sibling duo Sotomayor, consisting of Paulina and Raul of the same last name, known for adding an electronic touch to traditional dance genres from not only Latin America, but plenty of other places in the world as well, most prominently Africa in the form of Afrobeat and other styles of music. This blend of music forms left widely untapped by the encompassing Western music scenes and industries leaves the window open for plenty of colourful compositions, bouts of experimental sonical play and the creation of unique danceable songs, which WABI SABI demonstrably shows.
The injection of electronic production within the more tradition-backed tunes accompanied by a mixture of both commonly and uncommonly found instruments and sounds works seamlessly within the 11 tracks provided by the album, fitting like a hand in a glove. With catchy beats, enhancing yet unintrusive vocals sounding out Spanish lyrics, pleasant melodies that sound fresh yet simultaneously familiar, and an overall air of both energy and tranquility coming out of the tracks that yet manages to work in synergy without clashing with one-another, there is plenty here to make one dance and enjoy the moment. The duo behind the record further adds to this experience with legitimate artistic integrity, as the lyricism of the tracks circle around the concepts of resilience and self-reflection and provide those who understand the sung words an additional layer of musical meaning.
Admittedly, the exposure to many of the genres explored within WABI SABI has been quite limited for yours truly prior to this very listening experience; the album, however, left me with not only a quite positive impression and a unique introduction to these often overlooked styles, but also intrigue to dig deeper into them and possibly discover more works that potentially are deserving of far more recognition and praise than what they receive due to arbitrary cultural barriers present within the world of music. This record has provided a great time listening for me as a majority of the tracks found themselves to be enjoyable in some level, and it most certainly can do the same for many others with enough efforts put in to get non-Western genres to break free from the shackles of only being limited to certain regions of the world in terms of recognition. Perhaps this is the one to give a spin to whenever in need of finding something brand new to expose one's ears to.