Stream: Tropa Magica, ‘Meme City’

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Tropa Magica (Photo by Rafa Cardenas)

Brothers David and Rene Pacheco got their start as Thee Commons, bursting out of Boyle Heights to catch Los Angeles’ fancy (especially if you saw them live) with a sound they called “psychedelic cumbia punk.” Adopting the name Tropa Magica in 2018, they’ve spread their wings sonically while losing none of the charisma that made them a hot item at festivals such as Coachella, Desert Daze, Tropicalia, Echo Park Rising and Make Music Pasadena.

The single “Meme City,” released today, is the lead track on their new album “Tripiando al Infinito en Mi Recámara,” arriving Sept. 4. It’s kind of a mission statement for the “trippin'” theme in their album title. “We can start a trend / from the comfort of our bed / We can start a war / from the buttons on our phone,” David sings in the beautifully layered psychedelic rocker.

It’s the third single Tropa Magica has released this year, and, considering the covers EP they released in 2019, “Smells Like Cumbia,” symbolic of just how far-flung their musical explorations have gotten. This year’s previously releases, “Chalino y Sus 7 Balazos” and “Feels Like Tijuana,” suggest that Tropa Magica’s new album, while born in East L.A., will be truly a child of the world.

||| Stream: “Meme City” and “Feels Like Tijuana”

||| Previously: “Tropa Magica” the album, “Camisa Al Reves” video, (as Thee Commons) “Milk and Honey” and more