ASTROPICAL

Bringing together members of Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo and Venezuela’s Rawayana for just a single track would’ve been eventful enough. As such, combining the former’s Li Saumet and José Castillo with the latter’s Beto Montenegro and Andrés Story into a brand-new unit called ASTROPICAL makes it a full-fledged supergroup. Their respective approaches to Latin pop mix and remix in this fresh configuration, resulting in an exceedingly bright sound that transports listeners to the beaches while reaching for the stars. The spirit of beloved Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado clearly inspired these proceedings, most overtly with his signature televised sign-off appearing as homage on the thumping “Siento (Virgo).” Recorded in Miami and on the coastal Santa Marta, each of these 12 songs draws from the modern zodiac via parenthetical, otherwise reveling in warm melodies and eminently danceable polyrhythms. The pace of “Otro Nivel (Capricornio),” for instance, matches the momentum with emotionally heart-racing lyricism, while the more reggae-infused balladry of “Happy (Libra)” speaks to a decidedly more tranquil joyousness. There are broadly clubby moments like “Llegó El Verano (Sagitario),” a booming paean to summer madness, alongside breezier ones like the consequential duet “Quién Me Mandó (Géminis).”