The Singles Jukebox

Jacob brings us regional Mexican music’s big pop moment…

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Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: There are thousands upon thousands of words to be written about “Ella Baila Sola,” the year of Peso Pluma, and the broader question of Mexican pop music in the American pop landscape that I frankly could not even begin to put together into this blurb — because, frankly, I’d rather talk about “Ella Baila Sola” within its own singular context: “Ella Baila Sola” is perhaps the banger to end all bangers. It’s nothing complicated; people have been writing incredible pop songs about having a huge crush on a hot stranger they saw at a party since the dawn of pop music (I read Bob Stanley’s book on pre-1955 pop this year so I’m basically an expert on this.) But what shines through here is the genuine glee that Pedro Tovar and his boys have in the music. Each tripled-up guitar riff and stab of horns sounds so joyous and live that even a summer’s worth of overplay can’t quench it. The interplay between Tovar and Peso Pluma’s vocals — on opposite sides of the fine line between yearning and horny — only adds to the thrill here; they’re literally just some guys but in this particular moment, captured perfectly in the way that only a great pop song can, they reach some slight and passing transcendence. 
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Wayne Weizhen Zhang: What a refreshing and left-field global phenomenon! In Chicago, “Ella Baila Sola” was our third most streamed Spotify song of 2023, and Peso Pluma was our fifth most streamed artist, so I’ve heard this on the train while commuting, in restaurants while deciding what to order, and in the park while lounging under the sun. Every time, the sweetness of the guitar strums and the playfulness of the trumpets have been felt like a reprieve from the monotony of the charts.
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Micha Cavaseno: The last couple of years, I finally made the bare minimum attempt to understand corridos as a style. Ultimately, my heart is always going to defer to my grandfather’s Fania All-Stars collection when it comes to my own tastes, but I can appreciate the slightness and rootsy quality of these ballads. Peso Pluma’s got that classic nasal bray that conveys far more character than notes could ever achieve, and the tone of “Ella Baila” is carefree in a way that implies a youth and freedom to offset the grit in the vocals. I suppose this is more of a reminder as ever as to the charms of a style you rarely get to think of in the greater pop context.
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Ian Mathers: Really enjoy the music, and Peso Pluma is clearly a charismatic performer, I just kinda hate his voice here. To the extent that if this was Armado solo I think I’d give it an extra point.
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David Moore: I am never confronted so completely with the limits of my monolingual, myopic cultural existence than hearing that brass section, no matter what strain or subgenre it is or how decisively it’s crossing over into my corner of the world from speakers or Billboard articles. My appreciation never budges. It’s like opera and statues — I experience it and think “I’ll bet that’s really special to someone and I’m really missing out,” and then hope that no one asks me to share my opinion afterward. Maybe I could take a class or something.
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Nortey Dowuona: The tololoche is the Mexican folk bass. Its name originated from the Maya names tolo for “bull” and loch for “embraced.” Here’s a picture of one from 1930; here’s a link to go buy the strings. Yes it has 4 strings only. Here’s a link to a VST of the instrument. If you are most handy with the computer, try that. But of the actual instrument, since a tololoche can have strings made from tungsten, nickel or steel and can go for at least $1300, if you’re a beginner I’d advise to get one ASAP. Now, you’ll have to play for about four years and write songs for three before you make a song as good as this one, but since this is gonna be a thing for the next decade, get on it before Peso Pluma moves to Barcelona. Good luck!
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Katherine St Asaph: What about this particular song made it blow up at a scale that regional Mexican previously hadn’t? Variety had a feature about it, but nothing they described — exclusive tech deals, influencers, general hello-fellow-zoomers –seems any different from anyone else’s record-label rollout. The song is nice but doesn’t really make many pop concessions. Freaky Trigger ran an article last month on “the rainbow of new stories” of the charts; it’s probably the coherent version of whatever I might make of this.
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Brad Shoup: Listening to Eslabon Armado’s earlier stuff really makes clear how much juice they gave this. When it became a smash I thought it was fine, a pop corrido; I wish they’d gone full sinaloense and let the brass wail. In the context of the group’s career, though, it hits a little different. What sounded like a nagging pop topline now sounds like Jeff Buckley, which makes everything an additional degree of ersatz, which is a really interesting place to be.
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Crystal Leww: I grew up in Texas surrounded by Mexicans, specifically, so Spanish language music wasn’t as much reggaeton or dembow or bachata but instead music that sounds like “Ella Baila Sola,” heavy on the guitar and the horns and less on the doom-ca-ca! This is music that is instead made for twirling your girl in and out of a closed hold position, but like, more casual and more sweet than stuffy. Hearing this conjures up fond memories of the smell of the grill in the park now, the sight of the cooler full of Corona and fruity, sugary sweet drinks, and the families from young to old sitting around on foldable chairs as music blares out of a speaker somewhere.
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Alex Clifton: I’m pretty much sold on anything that features twelve-string guitars and horns. Throw in a lovely, lilting melody and I’ll be dancing all day.
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Tara Hillegeist: Probably the single sexiest song I have ever heard about a woman dancing all by herself since Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”. Not that there’s much competition, but the trombone on this — it makes me swoon. 
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