valonaradio
Malegría is the most chilled out call to action I've encountered in some time. One of the few times the algorithms of the universe got it right for me. I'm reminded of artistic collabs, lost loves, and my work in La Misión and surrounding "villages" of San Francisco. It's time to get back to those feelings of togetherness, purpose and rediscovering the roots of life. Thank you for this inspirational light of an album.
Favorite track: Suavecito.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
$10USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Naranja vinyl edition, with poster. Only available online and at live dates, and limited to 500 copies. This variant will not be re-pressed.
All items in your cart will ship on or around June 17, 2024. This date is subject to change due to reasons beyond our control, and you may receive this product after its official release date. If you would like to receive other items sooner, please place two separate orders.
Includes unlimited streaming of Malegría
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
shipping out on or around June 17, 2024
edition of 500
Purchasable with gift card
$28USDor more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Standard black vinyl edition, with poster.
Includes unlimited streaming of Malegría
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 5 days
Purchasable with gift card
$27USDor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
CD edition.
Includes unlimited streaming of Malegría
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 5 days
Purchasable with gift card
$14USDor more
Limited Edition Sun Yellow LP
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Sun Yellow vinyl edition, with poster. Only available online and limited to 500 copies. This variant will not be re-pressed.
Includes unlimited streaming of Malegría
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Malegría, Reyna Tropical’s long-anticipated debut full-length album, is at once a vibrant arrival and an electrifying bridge. The portmanteau, born from a 1998 Manu Chao song by the same name, is akin to bittersweet and blends the Spanish “mal” which means “bad" and “alegría” which means “happiness.” It marks Reyna Tropical’s movement from a duo to a solo project. The album is a contemporary celebration and continuation of wide-reaching cultural traditions—from Congolese, Peruvian, and Colombian rhythms to revolutionary artists like lesbian guitarist-singer Chavela Vargas—these influences meld and are remixed through the distinctive lens of trailblazing guitarist and songwriter Fabi Reyna. Traversing themes including queer love, feminine sensuality, and the transformative power of intentional relations to the earth, Malegría spotlights narratives often pushed to the margins and offers them a sonic homeland.
Formed in 2016, Reyna Tropical began as an organic, unhurried exchange between Fabi Reyna and Nectali “Sumohair” Diaz who met during a workshop series for emerging musicians. “Our first EP was so spur of the moment,” Reyna recalled. “What we needed was to document, to just do something for our hearts. Not for money, not for our livelihood. Just for us.” The band formed when Reyna had been immersed in full-time work founding and building She Shreds, the world’s first magazine dedicated to women and nonbinary guitarists, and was itching for a creative release and return to her musical roots. By January 2018, the band’s self-titled EP, Reyna Tropical, dropped and the foundations of the band’s spellbinding and distinctive sound were documented and formed. Best known for their rhythmic, hip-swaying tropical feel, the first Reyna Tropical tracks featured Ableton-made beats produced by Diaz—featuring Afro Indigenous drum patterns and environmental samples—expertly mixed with dreamy guitar riffs and soft vocals by Reyna.
After the EP’s release, and the debut single, "Niña," was featured on NPR Alt.Latino’s “Songs We Love” series, newfound fans and opportunities alike flocked. By year’s end the band was regularly selling out shows, joined as support on Bomba Estéreo’s US tour, and began booking gigs for major festivals and shows including SXSW, Cumbiatón, and Colombia’s Baile Sagrado. The band released another celebrated EP, Sol y Lluvia, in 2019, created and recorded during creatively enriching extended stay in Colombia.
“Things kept coming—studio tours, gigs, and different opportunities,” Reyna said while reflecting on the changes the band went through during the transition. “We were like, ‘Whoa, this is so weird! It’s working,’ but we didn’t even know what it was working for.” In 2020, after eight non-stop years building a business without time off, Reyna withdrew to nature for a community retreat. It was during this moment of stillness that the purpose of her life’s work, beyond running She Shreds Magazine, crystallized. For the next two years, Diaz and Reyna immersed themselves in a tropical journey guided by the music—from Cartagena, Colombia to Fajardo, Puerto Rico and Cuaji (la costa chica de Guerrero)—along the way, invited into a harmonious relationship with local land, culture, and music wisdom keepers. Malegría is the culmination of self exploration fortified through an attunement to land—alongside Diaz and through his passing. From the interludes to the found sounds, Malegría offers a home to diasporic beings de aquí y de allá, diasporic beings who are in the process of searching for and returning to ancestral roots.
On “Cartagena,” the bright, multi-layered rhythms and vocals sing of feeling caressed and energized by the elements, and, at the core, there is the sense of a mutual exchange of trust and care between her and the land. By contrast, “La Mamá,” which opens in a seemingly-serene rainforest, builds into a drumline-backed battle cry denouncing the commercialization of healing and the spiritual tourists who seek only to extract from the environment—medicinal, or otherwise. The interludes, which weave between each musical track, unfold a narrative all their own. “Goosebumps” and the subsequent “Singing” each offer peeks into the beautiful, unexpected push-and-pull that can transpire amid symbiotic collaboration. We, as listeners, are invited into the creative exchange between Diaz and Reyna, and the growing sense of power Reyna has found and is now sharing with others through her music. Meanwhile “Mestizaje” and “Queer Love and Afro Mexico” work together to chronicle the unlearning of erasure under a flattened definition of unity and, instead, uplift the importance of naming and celebrating distinct multifaceted identities and histories.
These sounds seamlessly blend into the final track, “Huitzilïn,” a tranquil, grounding ballad in which Reyna announces finally feeling her body, her spirit, her soul, and listening to all that surrounds her. “Huitzilïn,” the Nahuatl word for “hummingbird,” is a symbol of Indigenous strength in Mexico thought to guide those who are struggling to find their way home.
“I’ve always wanted to have a home—a place or a sound or a person to go to—because I think our people, who are severed from our lands and our histories and our stories and our communities, have for generations not really known where to go,” Reyna said. “There are times on stage where I can feel that my movement isn’t my movement. I can feel that I’m being moved by and I’m speaking for other people. I know in my body when my ancestors are there, when a decision is us.”
Whether enjoyed during listening parties or infectious live sets, the music will move listeners and irresistibly command a jump—into action in protection of the land, into the arms of a crush, into your own power and fearlessness, into steady body rolls along to the beat. Malegría offers us all a chance to witness history in the making.
—Emilly Prado
credits
released March 29, 2024
Aquí Te Cuido
Produced by: Nay Mapalo, Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Nay Mapalo
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios
Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitar, bass), Nay Mapalo (beats)
Performance Credits:
Nay Mapalo - beats
Radio Esperanza
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios
Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Cartagena
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Additional Production: Captain Planet
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Laguna de Chacahua, Oaxaca, Mexico Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars, synths, bass)
Performance Credits:
Nectali Díaz - beats, programming
Goosebumps
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lo Siento
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Additional Production: Captain Planet
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars, synths, bass)
Performance Credits:
Nectali Díaz - beats
Singing
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Conocerla
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nay Mapalo
Engineered by: Nay Mapalo
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars), Nay Mapalo (bass, lead synth, beats)
Performance Credits:
Nay Mapalo - bass, synth, beats
Movimiento
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Fabi Reyna, Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna
Suavecito
Featuring: Busy Twist, Franklin Tejedor
Produced by: Busy Twist
Engineered by: Busy Twist
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars), Franklin Tejedor (percussion, lyrics, vocals), Busy Twist (synth)
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna, Franklin Tejedor
Performance Credits:
Franklin Tejedor - percussion, lyrics, vocals
Busy Twist - synth
Ñeke
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
La Mamá
Produced by: Busy Twist
Engineered by: Busy Twist
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Barranquilla, Colombia Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna
Performance Credits:
Mily Iriarte - keyboard
Malegría
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Pajarito
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars, synths, bass)
Performance Credits:
Nectali Díaz - beats, programming
“Pajarito” is licensed courtesy of Platoon Ltd.
Puerto Rico
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Additional Production: Captain Planet
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars, synths, bass)
Performance Credits:
Nectali Díaz - beats, programming
Mestizaje
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Cuaji
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Additional Production: Captain Planet
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna, Nectali Díaz
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Fajardo, Puerto Rico Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (guitars, synths, bass)
Performance Credits:
Nectali Díaz- beats, programming
Queer Love & Afro-Mexico
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by: Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Conexión Ancestral
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nay Mapalo
Engineered by: Nay Mapalo
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (keyboard chords), Nay Mapalo (beat, lead keyboard, synths)
Performance Credits:
Nay Mapalo - beats, lead keyboard, synths
Guitarra
Produced by: Fabi Reyna
Engineered by:Fabi Reyna
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Huītzilin
Produced by: Fabi Reyna, Nay Mapalo
Engineered by: Nay Mapalo
Mixed by: Nay Mapalo
Recorded at: Para Mi Cultura Studios Mastered by: Heba Kadry
Lyrics written by: Fabi Reyna
Music written by: Fabi Reyna (bass, guitars), Nay Mapalo (beat)
Performance Credits:
Nay Mapalo - beats, lead keyboard, synths
Album Packaging Credits
Art Direction: Devyn Galindo
Photography: Devyn Galindo
Graphic Design: Bijan Berahimi
Producer: Fran Bittakis
HMU: Mattie Ngo
Props & Styling: Michelle & Tim Gonazalez Blanchard
Stylist Assistant: Paushi
Animal Handler: Liz Brandenburg
Studio: Desert Island Studios
Reyna Tropical is led by guitarist, singer, songwriter and co-producer Fabiola Reyna (founder of She Shreds Media).
Investigating landscapes of the tropical diaspora, Reyna Tropical is a musical exploration of intuition, transition, connection and continuation—a celebration of spiritual survival pulsing with the beat of all things tropical....more
Like so many others, this came like a bolt out of the blue and, even though it's well before payday, I had to have this astonishing album on vinyl to prove it exists. The feel of the tunes makes me feel like the Impressions do, Curtis Mayfield, the big spaces and instinctive horns and stuff drifting in and out. Great grooves and I can see lots of ghosts nodding along to this with big smiles on their faces. At last! Anthony Cottrell
