Chico’s Debajito releases debut album

“De La Patagonia hasta el Rio Grande/El amor de la vida es lo que siempre sobresale“

(“From Patagonia to the Rio Grande/The love for life is what always prevails”)

The Chico-based band Debajito that has fused rhythms from across the Americas and kept local dance floors crowded will release its debut album, “Entremundos” (“Between Worlds”) within weeks.

Entremundos, to be released on streaming services Aug 5, celebrates the message that “another world is possible,” according to a Debajto press release. The album’s songs will be publicly unveiled July 25 at the Sierra Nevada Big Room, when the local band opens for Ozomatli, the well-known Grammy award-winning rock group from Los Angeles. (The show is sold out.)

The lead single “Frontera,” (“The border”) released in mid-July, “explores themes of migration, cultural identity, and social justice,” explains Debajito. “Frontera is a track for the marginalized and displaced, addressing the personal and political landscapes of border-crossing,” says the Debajito statement.

Following an instrumental introduction that includes guitar arpeggios, plaintive flute and sustained violin, the track’s refrain goes: “Borra las fronteras que nos separen,” or, “Erase the borders that separate us.”

“And people don’t cross borders, the borders cross them” – a line in the track — acknowledges the presence of Spanish-speaking people and Latino culture on what would become U.S. territory before it became part of the United States.

The pan-American message in the track’s introduction reflects the multi-cultural makeup of the band, whose members have Chilean, Mexican and Peruvian roots. The new Entremundos tracks were composed by frontman Pablo Kee Cornejo and his brother, vocalist Dani Cornejo. Other members include bassist Austin “Wawa Face” Petersen, violinist Peter Washington, percussionists Luis Castillo and Juan Carlos Bermejo and drummer Wayne “Weezy” Moore.

In addition to Frontera, album songs include ¿Qué Pasa? (California cumbia hip-hop); Bailar (salsa);  Joy, an Afrobeats track “celebrating the importance of seeking joy during unprecedented times”; and Cordillera, a song that acknowledges the north-south continental divide.

Debajito fuses Andean sounds with hip-hop, cumbia, reggae, ska and dancehall, and says its mission is to “use music as a platform for resistance.”

The new album can be pre-saved on Spotify.