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​¿Buscas el sonido auténtico de la “República”? La espera terminó. Ponemos a tu alcance la edición física de uno de los debuts más impactantes de la música alternativa latina. Disfruta de la distorsión, los bajos profundos y la lírica contestataria de Resorte con la calidez que solo el formato análogo puede ofrecer. ​”Brincando, saltando, ¡Resorte está sonando!” Hazlo tuyo aquí:…

Published on November 6, 2025

By Marcos Hassan

Cover: Courtesy of Universal Music Mexico

During the 2000s, the Mexican music scene became a game of niches, with each genre growing their respective crowds with few chances of crossing over. However, one electronic trio managed to find their fans within many different camps, becoming one of the definitive acts of the era, and almost 20 years later, made one of the most unlikely comebacks in Mexican music history. Belanova released Dulce Beat, their second album, in 2005 — a synthpop album influenced as much by what we now call “indie sleaze” as well as predicting mainstream music that would dominate the late-’00s — Kesha, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, to name a few. Their singles like “Por Ti” and “Rosa Pastel” became chart hits as well as cult favorites. While the band couldn’t transcend their momentum, in the early 2020s, social media helped a new generation discover Belanova, sparking appreciation for a band that, as much as it represented its own time period, proved to be timeless.

Belanova was formed in the year 2000 by Denisse Guerrero, Ricardo Arreola, and Edgar Huerta in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. Arreola had been a member of funk rockers La Dosis during the Mexican rock heyday, while Guerrero and Huerta were younger and less experienced. Their passion for electronic music led them to form Belanova, signing to an indie label, Virus, and releasing their debut album, Cocktail. After signing with Universal, this led to their single “Tus Ojos” becoming a big hit in Mexico.

The music scene and Cachorro López

Latin pop music was in a transitional period back then; the biggest ’90s pop stars were still ruling the charts while the next generation was yet to make their mark. On the other hand, the Mexican rock scene, which had become a huge market, had dwindled down to producing just a few major new acts. Electronic music — while popular in its own niche — had yet to become a major commercial force. There were few artists like Belanova back then, and they seized their uniqueness to make their mark.

In 2005, they released Dulce Beat. The album was produced by Cachorro López, a veteran who helped break rock en español into the mainstream by producing powerful yet melodic albums by Miguel Mateos, Caifanes, and even pop stars like Stephanie Salas and Diego Torres. López once described himself thusly: “I’m not an artist, I’m like a song craftsman.” This quality helped him land some of his biggest hits as a producer, helping Julieta Venegas and Natalia Lafourcade zero in on their respective uniqueness as singers and songwriters and harnessing that into a chart-topping goldmine, as heard on heartfelt and melodic albums — if harmonically different — like Venegas’s Sí and Lafourcade’s Hasta La Raíz.

The album

Dulce Beat similarly breaks away from the group’s past, embracing a wide variety of sounds, focusing on punchy rhythms and the most memorable melodies in concise songs that hardly go beyond the 3:30 mark. Lyrically, Guerrero goes the confessional route, talking about love and heartbreak with a melancholic bent that gives most of the songs on Dulce Beat pathos, even during its brightest moments.

The album opens with “Niño,” a song that demonstrates what electroclash would have sounded like if it ever crossed paths with emo — hurried beats and bright synth lines are the springboard for earnest feelings and big choruses from Guerrero’s high voice register. “Rosa Pastel” is defined by its glam rock stomp and bright choruses with lyrics like “And everything ended / there’s nothing left / we’ll be two strangers / I’ll forget you / you’ll forget me / so long,” perhaps making it their defining moment as artists. “Mírame” embraces a traditional bossa nova sound, with gentle plucked guitar chords and exquisite percussion, with occasional synth lines to give the song a contemporary texture. “Miedo” seems to orbit the same galaxy as bands like Metric, with a guitar riff commanding the track around Guerrero’s sassy delivery swinging around the groove. “Escena Final” seems to apply the Depeche Mode formula into a different approach, with dark synth chords around the verses, while keyboard lines uplift each section as they appear. “Por Ti” boasts the biggest hooks on the whole album — from intertwining melodic lines that lead into an explosive singalong. Even an obvious experiment like “Sexy” — with its over-the-top delivery and lyrics — possesses enough charm and catchiness to be enjoyable.

While Cocktail had been a success, nothing could prepare Belanova for Dulce Beat’s impact. “Por Ti,” “Me Pregunto,” “Rosa Pastel,” and “Niño” became massive radio hits, entering the Billboard charts while keeping the album there for months. It broke the band beyond Mexico, harnessing fanbases in the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Spain, where they toured. The album was certified double platinum in Mexico.

It was also a smash with the critics. AllMusic’s Jason Birchmeier wrote: “There’s no single quality that makes these songs so magnetic; rather, it’s a combination of Guerrero’s pixieish voice as well as her baby-doll swagger, Huerta’s swirling layers of soft-hued electronics, and Arreola’s driving basslines, not to mention the Midas touch of Cachorro López.” Rolling Stone México’s Alex Carranco praised the album, saying that “it was a challenge for Belanova to surpass their past with this album where, fortunately, they didn’t shed their unique style; rather, there was an upgrade in the production department, with arrangements that engage our attention in each song.”

Belanova released their follow-up in 2007. Fantasía Pop saw them team up again with Cachorro López. It paid off with one of their biggest hits, “Baila Mi Corazón.” While the album had a stellar opening week — reaching No. 1 in Mexico and gold status shortly after, as well as winning them a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 2008 — it didn’t quite match its predecessor’s success. Steadily, the band’s sales declined even as they kept working until 2018, when they went on hiatus.

Things changed in 2023, however, when social media helped them find a new generation of fans. “Rosa Pastel” became a trending song on TikTok, with young fans making videos using “Rosa Pastel” to express disappointment with their love and even professional life. Soon it went viral beyond the web, with speculations of a return of Belanova to the stage, which finally happened in 2024 with appearances at festivals in Los Angeles and Mexico City.

‘Aquamosh’: Plastilina Mosh’s Weido Pop Masterpiece

The music from this Mexican alternative classic is perfect for a generation that’s grown up on short-form video and eclectic playlists.

Published on May 15, 2025 By Marcos Hassan

During the commercial heyday of Mexican rock, bands made their mark by fusing different genres. Artists such as Caifanes mixed post-punk and arena rock with pre-Hispanic music, while others like Café Tacvba and Maldita Vecindad borrowed elements from ska, punk, son cubano, cumbia, disco, and more. But few artists deftly combined as much as Monterrey’s Plastilina Mosh.

The duo, composed of Juan José “Jonás” Gonzalez and Alejandro Rosso, made wildly exploratory music using both traditional instruments and state-of-the-art tools like computers and samplers. They made their mark right from the get-go with their 1998 full-length debut, Aquamosh. It was an amazingly creative and fun mishmash in which everything from lounge to industrial coalesced into a nearly flawless record. It helped establish Plastilina Mosh as auteurs of experimental hook-laden music that still sounds fresh decades after its release.

Listen to Plastilina Mosh’s Aquamosh now.

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Plastilina Mosh started in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in 1997. Jonaz had played in a metal band called Koervoz De Malta and Rosso, a classically-trained musician, played keyboards in the prog-leaning outfit Acarnienses. Both had interest in a wide range of music, from acid jazz to punk.

Around this time, Monterrey was becoming a mecca for music in Mexico. The Mexican rock boom – which started with bands like Caifanes and Botellita de Jerez in the late 1980s – had its epicenter in Mexico City. But as the 90s progressed, attention began to shift to Monterrey, with the G-funk-inspired Control Machete, the power pop-meets-rap rock of Zurdok, the Britpop-leaning Jumbo, the Latin rhythms of El Gran Silencio, and many more. The press dubbed this generation of bands La Avanzada Regia. Loosely translated, it means “The Regal Avant-Garde.” (“Regio” is a nickname for people from Monterrey.)

After signing with EMI, Plastilina Mosh recorded what became their debut full-length, Aquamosh. The album was produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, with additional production from Jason Roberts and Sukia – the latter coming on board after being recommended by the Dust Brothers. (P-Mosh had asked for the Dust Brothers themselves, thanks to their work on the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique and Beck’s Odelay.)

“We use everything that we have ever listened to and liked,” explained Jonás. “It’s like going to a gigantic supermarket where you pick everything that’s good, and sometimes even some bad items.” That’s apparent from the off. Aquamosh is marked by a devil-may-care attitude, everything but the kitchen sink instrumentation, and a kitsch aesthetic; characteristics that put them in conversation with the aforementioned Beasties and Beck. At the time, Billboard even hyped them as “Mexico’s answer to the Beastie Boys.”

Even so, Plastilina’s sound had plenty of unique elements. The album opens with “Niño Bomba,” their most political track – think Rage Against The Machine if they were raised on DJ Shadow instead of Black Flag. From there, the sound and tone zigzags: “Afroman” inhabits the same galaxy as Digital Underground while “Ode To Mauricio Garces” – named after the Mexican B-movie casanova – delves into bossa-inflected lounge not too far from Stereolab’s gentler moments. “Monster Truck” is a digital blues stomp and “Bungaloo Punta Cometa” could well have been a Butthole Surfers deep cut. The album ends with “Mr. P-Mosh,” a weirdo pop collage that’s the most unclassifiable song on the album. It also became the biggest hit. Featuring boogie bass, aggro-rapping, girl-group backing vocals, harmonica, and a plethora of samples, the song is as irresistible as it is unpredictable.

Aquamosh soon reached instant classic status. Singles like “Niño Bomba,” “Afroman,” and most importantly, “Mr. P-Mosh,” quickly became staples of Mexico’s rock radio while their artfully kitschy videos were in constant rotation on MTV’s Latin channel which broadcasted to all of Latin America. Plastilina soon toured all over the continent as well as Spain, Europe, and the U.S. Outlets such as Spin and Vibe praised the album. Further critical and commercial success came with their contributions to soundtracks for internationally renowned Mexican movies like Y Tu Mamá También and Todo El Poder.

Plastilina Mosh returned with Juan Manuel in 2000, abandoning the adrenaline-inducing punk attitude of Aquamosh to delve into dance music, disco and trip hop, all with their fun-loving anarchic spirit in place. Later, they leaned toward melodic experiments with songs like “Peligroso Pop” and “Perverted Pop Song,” showcasing their ability to make picture perfect power pop without sacrificing their experimental instincts.

After their 2008 full-length album, All You Need Is Mosh, Plastilina slowed down. While the duo never officially disbanded, Jonás and Rosso took time to focus on side projects as well as solo albums. Plastilina would come back periodically to play sporadic shows and release the occasional new single, like “MJLM” and “Controlemos El Fuego (People’s League Version).”

Today, their status as elder statesmen in the Mexican scene is secure. They paved the way for more Mexican music fusionists like Nortec and 3BallMTY, groups that put together genres like norteño, cumbia with electronics, and hip-hop. Much like the Beastie Boys and Beck in the United States, the group’s music predicted a generation that’s grown up on short-form video and eclectic playlists, where hip-hop, corridos, and rock mix together without a second thought.

Perhaps Plastilina Mosh’s biggest contribution to Mexican music, cemented on Aquamosh, is that, with the right attitude, different sounds can coexist.

I mean it's fantastic that Universal are really getting the song out there but again wtf? *Why not Forever?*

Udiscover's Lover spotify playlist

(God Only Knows is on there too, plus a bunch of really obvious kinda corny old choices, songs that only just fit being about about love for your kid and I guess the world, the worst Stevie Wonder songs I've ever heard, & at least a couple of songs about heartbreak inc George Michael famously singing about how guilty he's feeling about cheating lol. oh & a tiny bit of queer rep.).

I'd embed - but on tumblr the playlist only shows songs 1 - 100, Dennis & Blondie*/The Beach Boys appear at no. 102. (*Chaplin)

Oh yeah, this isn't some ultra obscure playlist I stumbled across but promoted to everyone on UMG's email list.

(Is it 'Carry me home to my lover', or 'Carry me home to my love..mmm/ohh')

eta: And there's also a youtube music version (also Apple music but the tracklisting/preview on their site only has the same 50 tracks listed over and over again & no Dennis/Beach Boys & the preview on https://stream.lnk.to/ValentinesDay only has some of the tracks & Carry Me Home isn't available).

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