Clave Especial is finally taking a break.<\/p>\n
In the last two months, the corrido tumbado band from Salinas, Calif., performed at the South by Southwest music festival in Texas<\/a>\u2014and made headlines by singing a narcocorrido; spoke to Latino students at Cornell University<\/a> in upstate New York; and even embarked on a impromptu 10-hour road trip to show their support for Juan, a contestant from Mexico on one of MrBeast\u2019s latest challenges<\/a> who has become a viral sensation<\/a>.<\/p>\n In fact, the trio\u2014 lead singer Alejandro Ahumada, guitarist Leonardo Lomeli and tololoche player Rogelio Gonzalez \u2014 felt so compelled to make the pilgrimage to the North Carolina grocery store where Juan has been sequestered for months, that they ditched all press events for their latest EP \u201cAfterafter,\u201d released on April 30, in order to meet and serenade him. The band even awarded a $5,000 scholarship to his son, Angel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Because it felt so right,\u201d said Ahumada. \u201cHis story connected with us, because we also come from hardworking parents that really gave it all for us.\u201d<\/p>\n As the rush of East Coast travel wore off, Clave Especial returned to Salinas to throw a huge homecoming bash. \u201cIt\u2019s like a full-circle moment,\u201d said Ahumada of their May 4 performance at the Salinas Sports Complex. <\/p>\n They joined a video call from their childhood bedrooms to discuss \u201cAfterafter,\u201d a five-track project set to a fiery tempo \u2014 140 BPM to be exact \u2014 that is nostalgic for summer days and the never-ending after-parties they bring. The songs were selected from their vault, they said, which includes a long list of tracks that didn\u2019t make the cut for \u201cMija No Te Asustes,<\/a>\u201d the band\u2019s 2025 critically acclaimed debut that featured co-signs by Fuerza Regida, Edgardo Nu\u00f1ez and Luis R Conquirez. <\/p>\n This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/p>\n What was it like to perform back home in Salinas? <\/p>\n Alex: That\u2019s actually the second time that we come back as Clave Especial. The first show was at the Fox Theater, which was a sold-out show. People were asking us, \u201cHey when are you guys coming back?\u201d We decided to do it now at the Salinas Sports Complex. <\/p>\n Jumping to the EP, how did \u201cAfterafter\u201d come to be? <\/p>\n Alex: It was more like a fun concept that we kind of had in mind. We were actually working towards an album at a writers camp in Ensenada. It was at the beach. Then we jumped around to Miami, Puerto Vallarta. We caught ourselves jumping around beaches, a lot of parties. We want to give people like a summer EP, something they can slap during the summer when they\u2019re partying.<\/p>\n If \u201cMija No Te Asustes\u201d is an album about this confident boss man calling the shots, how would you characterize \u201cAfterafter\u201d? <\/p>\n Alex: I think it\u2019s that same guy from the first album, he\u2019s still living it up. In \u201cMija No Te Asustes\u201d there\u2019s some songs like \u201cComo Capo\u201d that introduce that vibe to this EP, so we just continued that wave. It was our biggest song yet. We knew that people liked us apart from the corridos like \u201cR\u00e1pido Soy,\u201d \u201cNo Son Doritos,\u201d but I think with \u201cComo Capo\u201d we discovered that people like other sounds and lyrics. That\u2019s what we tried to continue in \u201cAfterafter.\u201d<\/p>\n Musically, how would you describe the sound of this EP? <\/p>\n Leo: One thing about us, when we get in the studio, we play a lot in the tempo 6\/8s, this upbeat speed. We always hit the BPM at 140 BPM \u2014 that\u2019s the Clave Especial essence.<\/p>\n One of the songs that caught my interest was \u201cScary Movie,\u201d because it reminded me of a corrido-inspired \u201cThriller\u201d (by Michael Jackson). It also connects the past album because there\u2019s a phrase where you say \u201cMija, no te asustes.\u201d Tell me the backstory of that spooky song. <\/p>\n Alex: That\u2019s funny, because I\u2019m going to watch the Michael Jackson movie today. That song was actually composed by someone from Street Mob from Ensenada. I think that song was already in the vault.<\/p>\n Leo: That song was tailored for [the past] album. The [ad lib] was an Easter egg.<\/p>\n