111XPANTIA

Música mexicana superstars Fuerza Regida took their sound in an ambitious new direction on 2024’s *PERO NO TE ENAMORES*. Empowered by the success of their prior Marshmello team-up “HARLEY QUINN,” group leader Jesus Ortiz Paz (aka JOP) and his cohorts embraced the opportunity to infuse their style with seemingly disparate genres like Jersey club, resulting in a risk-taking album that will forever stand out in their high-quality discography. Yet not long thereafter came *MALA MÍA*, a surprise joint-EP release with Grupo Frontera that inherently hinted at a potential pivot away from the dance-floor thump. By the time the riveting corrido “Por Esos Ojos” arrived a couple months later, it became clear that JOP intended for their next project to change course once more. That said, anyone who’d dare presume that *111XPANTIA* is somehow backtracking or retreating from the boldness of *PERO NO TE ENAMORES* simply fails to understand the breadth of Fuerza Regida’s artistry. While the self-described Jersey corridos side of their work is conspicuously absent here, what remains are a dozen tracks that burst and blossom with fearless lyricism and intricate arrangements. Evoking the iconically cinematic Nino Rota score, opener “GodFather” distills mafioso-epic intensity into an unapologetically sordid account of luxe hedonism. JOP sounds arguably more profane than ever on the riveting crime-story corrido “ayy weyy” and the sexually explicit “peliculiando.” Electronic elements play a subtler role than before, present as a warming drone at the start of “caperuza” and via synth bass swells underneath the lush “Nocturno.”