Single-handedly boosting the week’s energy levels…
[Video]
[6.00]
Alfred Soto: With a track that mimics a strafing attack, “Carnavalera” doesn’t quit, which is also the problem: it’s hard to dance to, and the vocal won’t let up.
[6]
Stephen Eisermann: What in the garage-band-first-demo-that-you’re-so-proud-of-even-though-most-of-your-friends-struggle-to-smile-through-it-because-they’re-cringing fresh hell is this?
[2]
Katherine St Asaph: Half a shouty banger that’s halfway to “Sandstorm,” half a gentle, ambient mesh of synth/guitar noodling and arpeggiation. The effect’s a bit like a rave in a planetarium, or more specifically a rave crashing a planetarium halfway through an asteroid belt meditation.
[6]
Iris Xie: Any intro that makes me start clapping like I’m at a summer festival before the actual hand clap samples come in is promising. The intro itself is an experience, with the trance beats first, then an enthusiastic spoken-word intro, then the “Carnavalera” chant, then the first verse with the escalating trance synth and that sparkly guitar, which sets the stage for the listener to embrace the sun and dance freely. The difference in vocal textures between Bomba Estéreo & Systema Solar, with contrasting sharpness and raspiness, adds texture to the instrumental and gives vitality to the oscillating trance and funk synths. The outro slowing down to a woozy ending is also charming, like it’s aware that it’s a bomb intro song for a festival, designed for a smooth transition into the next performance.
[7]
Julian Axelrod: There’s something inherently lonely about tropical house. The microgenre may be designed to move festival crowds, but those wispy guitar lines evoke a solo paraglide over an uninhabited rainforest. Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar buck this trend by stuffing as much as possible into the empty spaces. The crowd chants and motormouthed reggaeton features tip the vibe from serenity to insanity, but the arrangement never topples under its own chaos. It sounds like an amazing party an hour before it gets out of hand.
[7]
Will Adams: The calls for worldwide love love peace peace via dancing would feel trite were the track not such an unequivocal banger. Bomba Estéreo and Systema Solar pass the mic with ease to create a non-stop party that feels inclusive amidst its raucousness.
[8]