Volcán Indie Orquesta Latina

Is it possible, a veces, to capture half of a hemisphere in a song? Maybe…

Volcán Indie Orquesta Latina serves up a heady brew that could be called pan-Latin fusion, un poco de pinche todo, or South American eclectic electric. Since early 2016, songwriter/bandleader Jamie Mejia and his compañeros (often more than 10) have made intricate and energetic music that finds inspiration in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America.

Hailing from San Antonio, Tejas, on the northern edge of Latinx America, Volcán offers a musical vision of Latinx unity. The group’s joyful and shapeshifting sound—tradition and innovation at once—moves easily from its roots in psych-rock-infused cumbia to bachata, salsa, calypso, and more. The resulting mezcla is funky, catchy, and danceable, anchored by an intoxicating index of rhythms and buoyed into transcendence by the generous spirit each band member pours into the ritual.

On more recent singles, including 2018’s “Bim Bom Ba” and 2019’s “Tu Me Elevas,” as well as the new “Julia,” the band continues to explore in terms of composition and studio craft. The results indicate that this collective has no interest in settling into one particular mode. Instead, this is the sound of life and growth and movement, of la historia y el futuro.

Simply put, Volcán lives up to its name—a sonic dynamo rising from la selva, a towering and primordial force that billows and bursts and overflows with a mystical atomic heat that makes it impossible to sit still.