Ecuadorian-American indie pop, 2010s Tumblr-core and bedroom pop cumbia

Alt.Latino

NPR

Music

4.5 • 701 Ratings

🗓️ 27 August 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento is back on the mic, bringing host Anamaria Sayre new music in the vein of her 2010s Tumblr era. Think emo bangs, bright blue skinny jeans and a Warped Tour T-shirt. Sonically, this week’s picks run through bedroom pop, sultry balladry and Bronx-Dominican rap over post-punk basslines.
Featured artists and songs:

• Titanic (I. la Católica and Mabe Fratti), “Escarbo dimensiones"

• Mon Laferte, “Esto Es Amor"

• Planta Industrial, “Teteo in The Bronx”

• Santi Muk and Zenon Pereyra, “seu carinho,” “CUÁNTO FALTA PARA CONOCERTE?” and “ANA BAILABA”

• Maria Usbeck, “Mar”

• LATIN MAFIA and Omar Apollo, “Hecho para ti”

This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. Suraya Mohamed is the Executive Producer of NPR Music and the madrina of Alt.Latino.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Eric Glass. On this American life, we like stories that surprise you. For instance, imagine finding a new hobby and realizing...
0:07.2	To do this hobby right, according to the ways of the masters, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to have to bend the law to get the materials that you need.
0:16.6	If not, break it. Yeah. To break international laws.
0:20.8	Your life stories, really good ones.
0:23.0	This American Life.
0:24.1	A quick note before the show, this podcast contains explicit language.
0:28.4	How do you want to start this thing, Issa?
0:30.4	You have a theme.
0:31.9	I have a theme, but it was like an accidental theme.
0:34.4	It was like after I picked these songs, I was like, wow, this is like a playlist
0:38.4	I would have made on Tumblr in 2010 when I wore like blue eyeliner and I had emo bangs.
0:43.2	Can you just take us back to Tumblr in 2010, Issa, please? Tumblr in 2010, I was in seventh or eighth
0:51.0	grade and I wore like bright blue skinny jeans. Yes. And there was this
0:56.1	obsession with like the warp tour bands and the XX. And I just thought I was so cool and smart and
1:03.1	spent a lot of time reblogging stupid stuff. Okay. I'm I'm officially there. Now can you please
1:09.4	play us your first song?
1:13.3	But first, we have to explain to people what's happening.
1:18.5	Obviously, once again, from NPR Music, this is Alt Latino.
1:20.6	I'm Anna Maria Sayer, and you are... Isabella Gomez-Armiento.
1:22.3	Okay, let's hit it.
1:41.8	Okay. Okay, I wish I had been cool enough to listen to a song like this when I was a moody Tumblr kid, but I do think that is the energy it's giving. My first song is called Escarbo Dimensiones,
1:45.5	and it is by the group, Titanic,
	...

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