{"id":223354,"date":"2025-10-24T20:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/223354\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T20:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:03:08","slug":"shoegaze-post-punk-and-central-americas-echoing-melancholy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/223354\/","title":{"rendered":"Shoegaze, Post-Punk and Central America\u2019s Echoing Melancholy"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCENE REPORT<\/a><\/p>\n

Shoegaze, Post-Punk and Central America\u2019s Echoing Melancholy<\/p>\n

By <\/p>\n

Richard Villegas<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7
\n Illustration by <\/p>\n

Juila Dufosse<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7
\n October 24, 2025<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s 7:30 P.M., and the night\u2019s first mosh pit has already broken out. The opening shoegaze band, Alturas<\/a>, is playing for a packed house at Amon Solar<\/a>\u2014one of the key indie venues in San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica\u2014as part of a stacked showcase put on by local alt-rock label, Furia<\/a>. The room is sweltering, and the crowd grows rowdier with each act, swaying and jumping along with dreampop trio A Su Ladera<\/a>, while Adi\u00f3s Cometa<\/a> lives up to their headlining slot with a cocktail of shoegaze and Midwest emo that reverberates through the intimate space.<\/p>\n

In between hurried cigarette breaks and life-saving beer refills, familiar faces come into focus. Garage heartthrobs Dylan Thomas<\/a>, pop-rock pixie ABBIE<\/a>, and the rookie shoegaze band Roca Bruja flutter about, bantering with friends and showing off merch finds. Even the influential bloggers Carlos Soto (La Necedad<\/a>) and Pablo Acu\u00f1a (Dance to the Radio<\/a>) turned up, and the reviews are in: The scene is reborn with the sound of melancholy tunes.<\/p>\n

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The sound of distorted rock is nothing new to Costa Rica. Throughout the \u201810s, the small Central American nation harbored a vibrant garage movement<\/a> that became an epicenter of the Latin indie blogosphere. But more than just hype, the scene drew overdue attention to a region that had been historically omitted from the cultural conversation. Beyond the crossover legacy of Panamanian salsa and reggaet\u00f3n icons like Ruben Blades<\/a> and El General, or the saccharine cringe of Guatemalan pop crooner Ricardo Arjona, few mainstream acts have emerged from the seven-country strip that bridges North and South America\u2014and even less so from the underground, though a scrappy new generation of shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk bands is weaving a web of mutual aid and bummer tunes that could change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first acoustic compilation<\/a> featured all-Costa Rican bands, and for the second installment we received submissions from a lot of younger local bands, and many international ones,\u201d says Emanuel Mora, co-founder of Furia and Adi\u00f3s Cometa, linchpins of Central America\u2019s growing indie network. \u201cWe\u2019ve also booked shows for bands from Nicaragua (Jardin Animal<\/a>), Mexico (No Somos Marineros<\/a>), and Argentina (Montegrande<\/a>), so now we\u2019re actively building bridges between scenes and audiences. Split releases, for example, can put your music in the ears of different fanbases, and one that worked really well was between the post-punk bands Lentamente<\/a>, from here, and Tolva<\/a> from Chile.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This past June in Costa Rica, the second edition of the Central American Music Market<\/a> gathered regional talent and international bookers to create new professional avenues and foster cooperation between sibling nations. During the opening ceremony, one of the organization\u2019s founders, the Panamanian promoter and activist Yahaira Osiris, suggested that a unified front could coalesce into a market of nearly 50 million people strong\u2014formidable enough for the region to step out of the long shadows cast by neighbors such as Mexico and Colombia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important not only for artists to connect, but for industry professionals to engage with peers from different latitudes,\u201d said Osiris in September, speaking at her Panama City-based conference, MIM LatAm<\/a>, which spotlights women and LGBTQ+ people in the music industry. \u201cThis year I\u2019ve gone on over 15 trips, collecting data and meeting with colleagues I hope to bring to Central America. But my goal is for these exchanges to go both ways and to get more Panamanian artists onto the international stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Similarly, El Salvador\u2019s Fundaci\u00f3n Sos M\u00fasica<\/a> is platforming original singer-songwriters such as Carol Hills<\/a> and Nikki Rose in a local market that largely prioritizes cover bands. Meanwhile, NU Festival<\/a> in Honduras has partnered with the French Alliance and the Museum for National Identity to put on massive block parties featuring alt-rock bands Atomic Rose<\/a>, Tux Lunan, and Radiophobic<\/a>, also importing tropical pop favorites like Dominican trio Mula<\/a> and Costa Rica\u2019s Cocofunka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Visionary labels have fortified scenes too niche to otherwise find their footing in these small regional markets. Honduras\u2019s Templo Animal<\/a> stands as a bastion of Central American experimental electronic music, with sprawling compilations<\/a> that pair homegrown ambient and IDM producers Bestias<\/a> and Almanacs<\/a> with drone masters such as Mexico\u2019s Edgar Mondrag\u00f3n<\/a> and Costa Rica\u2019s Carla Alfaro<\/a>. The Panamanian imprint L\u00f3gica Ciega<\/a> cobbled together a dazzling archive of metal, crust punk, and hardcore stretching from the capital\u2019s blistering metropolitan underground to scattered but devout scenes in the country\u2019s western region. And the cassette emporium Citrus City<\/a> helped rekindle dialogue between the Guatemalan indie scene and a vast, curious diaspora hungry for a musical homecoming.<\/p>\n

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\u201c\u2019Berlin,\u2019 from our album Epicentro<\/a>, talks about the Central American longing to emigrate and how we often think the outside world is better,\u201d says Luis Pablo P\u00e9rez of the Guatemalan shoegaze band, Asimov<\/a>. \u201cLatin America has a complex diaspora, so we wanted to examine the idealized image we have of Europe, or what the American Dream used to mean. By naming the record Epicentro, we\u2019ve positioned ourselves as a shoegaze band at the center of the continent, dissecting our realities, our desire to emigrate, and [disillusionment] in our own countries, which is a constant feeling in this region of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past half-century, Central America has been bruised by civil wars, dictatorships, and gang violence, driving thousands to seek refuge abroad. The dust seemed to settle throughout the \u201810s, but the pandemic and political unrest of recent years sent many of these countries careening back into uncertainty, with new despots sprouting in El Salvador<\/a> and Nicaragua<\/a>, and multitudinous migrant caravans straining border relations.<\/p>\n

Though melancholy and frustration are reflected in the region\u2019s underground scenes, so are the unique cultural nuances of each country\u2014just look to Belize\u2019s enduring Garifuna drumming traditions<\/a> and the resurgence of Mayan folk<\/a> and rap in Guatemala. Pedal distortion remains one of the most reliable lingua francas in the region, intertwining scenes through the internet and gradually forging new touring routes. Keep scrolling to discover crucial players from Central America\u2019s echoing underground, swerving through Panamanian jangle pop, Belizean dream pop, Salvadoran industrial music, and much more.<\/p>\n

Adi\u00f3s Cometa
Nuestras Manos Son Incendios<\/a><\/p>\n

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Adi\u00f3s Cometa\u2019s debut, Nuestras Manos Son Incendios, is all fun, propulsive shoegaze up until \u201cLas Torres,\u201d their atmospheric collaboration with Guatemalan quartet Asimov and Argentine electronic producer Lumtz<\/a>, when the record suddenly plunges into frigid ambient. The tonal shift is a tremendous flex that proves the San Jos\u00e9 ensemble are as committed to sparking mosh pits as they are aural exploration, expanding on these themes alongside Mexican reverb gods No Somos Marineros and Costa Rican experimental producer Contradicta<\/a>. With a sophomore release slated for early 2026, and a first teaser in the Western-y single \u201cCandelaria<\/a>,\u201d Adi\u00f3s Cometa are keeping Costa Rica\u2019s long running tradition of pedal distortion alive and fresh.<\/p>\n

Asimov
Epicentro I-II<\/a><\/p>\n

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Guatemalan shoegazers Asimov understand the art of pacing. The group formed over a decade ago, slowly dropping singles and EPs that, earlier this year, coalesced into their haunting debut, Epicentro I-II. Songs like \u201cVerbena\u201d engage with the discontent of constantly feeling screwed over by government corruption and social selfishness, while \u201cBerlin\u201d examines the flip side by unpacking immigrant guilt, capped with the chilling confession, \u201cQuisiera no ser de aqu\u00ed,\u201d or \u201cI wish I weren\u2019t from here.\u201d Asimov\u2019s international ambitions have paid off; they jetted to Seattle in 2024 for performances at KEXP and Freakout Fest, as well as SXSW in Austin, Texas. The band is also an excellent barometer for Guatemala City\u2019s post-rock and blackgaze scene, where bands like Se\u00f1or del Rostro Solar<\/a> and El Mundo Como Flor y Como Invento<\/a> warrant even more deep diving.<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda del Destierro
todo est\u00e1 fuera de lugar<\/a><\/p>\n

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For every band of sullen hipsters, a brighter\u2014if not exactly \u201csunny\u201d\u2014alternative must exist. Enter Guatemala\u2019s Mar\u00eda del Destierro<\/a>, the alias of Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Aguilar Xil, whose enveloping 2025 debut EP todo est\u00e1 fuera de lugar blooms from eerie electronic pessimism on \u201cel fin\u201d into fluttering, romantic dreampop on \u201cya no 3\u201d and \u201cplaya.\u201d Mar\u00eda del Destierro is part of a new generation of Guatemalan bedroom artists, coupling introspective storytelling with weird, sinewy tunes, making waves alongside alt-R&B chanteuse aLex vs aLex<\/a> and avant-garde saxophonist Dina Ram\u00edrez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Solamente Muero los Domingos
qu\u00e9 dif\u00edcil es, qu\u00e9 bien se siente<\/a><\/p>\n

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Originally conceived as the solo project of Andr\u00e9s J\u00e1come (formerly of Panamanian post-punk band Vida Nocturna<\/a>) Solamente Muero los Domingos<\/a> arrived in 2023 as a refreshing blast of jangle pop in a scene ruled by groovy, tropical rock stalwarts like Cienfue<\/a> and Se\u00f1or Loop<\/a>. To execute his vision, he enlisted members of punk and garage favorites Hez<\/a> and Son\u00f3<\/a>, stitching together the new project with guitar strings and breezier, romantic lyrics. With two EPs under their belt, the band has delivered a \u201860s-tinged ode to Hollywood cool (\u201cCanci\u00f3n para Harry Dean Stanton\u201d), summery existentialism (\u201cCercas, nubes y otros cosas in\u00fatiles\u201d), and love-drunk giddiness (\u201cAhora doy vueltas\u201d), with more twee earworms already on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Sekanto
Tegucigalpenses<\/a><\/p>\n

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Eduardo Sebasti\u00e1n G\u00f3mez is clearly a Strokes fan. While followers of his alt-rock band Radiophobic will hardly be surprised, the Honduran singer-songwriter\u2019s solo project Sekanto<\/a> extrapolates beyond locomotive guitar riffs and despondent vocals with philosophical storytelling and impressionistic production. His debut LP, Tegucigalpenses, offers a bird\u2019s eye view of Honduras\u2019s bustling capital, meditating on the ravaged, colonized land beneath his feet on \u201c5000 A\u00f1os de Deuda,\u201d while \u201cForex Trading\u201d lampoons the cantankerous delusions of local crypto bros. The kraut-y bass lines of \u201cJap\u00f3n Imperial\u201d make for one of the album\u2019s most enjoyable head-bobbers, while patented shoegaze melancholy creeps into \u201cPhaedrus\u201d and \u201cEpistemolog\u00eda,\u201d grounding Sekanto in sober contemplation.<\/p>\n

Duck
Love Letters EP: Bedroom Edition<\/a><\/p>\n

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Belize\u2019s indie scene may be small, but it\u2019s very much alive, with rising acts like viv and Messmer making a big push for local shoegaze and psych-pop. Perhaps the most fully realized project from this growing underground is Duck<\/a>, the alias of Efrain Nephai Medina, who debuted last year with the yearning dream pop of his EP Love Letters. Though currently attending university in Taiwan, the industrious jack-of-all-musical-trades has been diligently dropping new singles, going noisy and saturated on the \u201cStarting Over\u201d demo and veering into buzzing surf-punk on the deliciously distorted \u201cOjos de Caf\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Su Ladera
No hab\u00eda forma de saber<\/a><\/p>\n

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Describing their sound as melancholy pop, Costa Rica\u2019s A Su Ladera evoke the cinematic stomach-butterflies of Alvvays<\/a> while juicing their songs with enough reverb to rattle your rib cage. The band formed in 2021, jamming at home as a way to stave off pandemic boredom, then quickly realizing that their chemistry could help the project grow into more than a pastime. Their 2022 debut EP Elipsis <\/a>layered spacey sequencers, krautrock basslines, and field recordings into a lovely yet experimental maiden voyage, while their follow up, 2024\u2019s No hab\u00eda forma de saber embraced a more straightforward rock sound and hooky songwriting.<\/p>\n

Diente Amargo
Legi\u00f3n<\/a><\/p>\n

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A land of beautiful black sand beaches and delicious, greasy pupusas, you may not expect El Salvador to house a prolific industrial and darkwave scene. But electronic acts like Safari Volvo<\/a>, Amn\u00e9sica<\/a>, M.W.E.I.M<\/a>, and Faceta Oscura<\/a> howl with the creatures of the night, while the snarling, masked agitators of Diente Amargo<\/a> create sprawling, politically-charged epics that take aim at North American imperialism and homegrown institutional violence. Their debut album Legi\u00f3n unfolds with unbridled fury, calling out corrupt politicians on the throbbing \u201cOligarcamat\u00f3n\u201d and surrendering to the pit of despair on \u201cTemblores,\u201d where singer Dino Ex Machina spews, \u201cEs normal sentirse como un perdedor\/ Es solo un d\u00eda m\u00e1s en Salvador,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s normal to feel like a loser\/ It\u2019s just another day in Salvador.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jardin Animal
Girasol<\/a><\/p>\n

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A pummeling, vital blast of math rock and Midwest emo out of Managua, Nicaragua, Jardin Animal are masters of catharsis. Their 2022 EP Girasol has become a cherished favorite among indie fans in the region, floating on the nimble guitar-picking of \u201cLa Grulla\u201d and letting the tears flow on the breakup confessional, \u201cMelod\u00edas.\u201d Jardin Animal join the ranks of Chile\u2019s Estoy Bien<\/a> and Brazil\u2019s Um Quarto<\/a> as part of a wave ushering a Latin American emo revival, and their recent singles \u201cDiecis\u00e9is<\/a>\u201d and \u201cTren Bala\u201d hint at a visceral new record on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Calle Palermo
Flor de Tres<\/a><\/p>\n

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Perhaps the most joyful, earnest entry on this list, Honduras\u2019s Calle Palermo<\/a> are the perfect soundtrack to sunset slow dances, weaving beautiful pop-rock harmonies with dreamy instrumental arrangements. Composed of singer Mar\u00eda Gabriel D\u00e1vila and multi-instrumentalist twin brothers Jos\u00e9 Daniel and Jos\u00e9 Samuel \u00c1lvarez, the band was formed in 2022, embracing a romantic yacht rock sound that eventually blossomed into their debut LP, Flor de Tres. Sweet and optimistic, tracks like the drowsy, harmonica-guided \u201cFantasmeo\u201d and their country-tinged collaboration with singer-songwriter Chia Casanova<\/a> on \u201cVerte Sonreir,\u201d make for laidback listening and a necessary ray of sunshine through all the murky distortion.<\/p>\n