This past year has taught us a lot about utilizing nostalgia as a tool to cope with the realities of the present. For 21-year-old Mauri Tapia, that concept is well embodied in the music he creates under the moniker Los Retros. From age 16, the artist has attempted to reinvent the sentiment in a way that could tap into what the future could be or, more specifically, sound like.
The multi-faceted musician with an affinity for the minimalistic, entered the blossoming Southern California indie-pop scene at a time when local players secured retro revival as a thriving musical movement. Los Retros’ reinvention of the aura of early Spanish soft-rock is what differentiates them from the abundant crowd of bedroom pop. Amongst the list of garnered fans was Stone Throw Records’ Peanut Butter Wolf who would sign the band under the label and put out their subsequent releases.
Now, Los Retros have delivered their latest EP, Looking Back—a compilation that reads like a longing love letter to a future muse. The album is the artist’s first release since 2020’s Everlasting. In it, Tapia continues to tap into his melodious magic carried through electronic synths, heavy bass lines and vibrant keys, all while experimenting with the concept of time.
By transporting us to the past on his newest endeavor, Tapia reimagines nostalgia in a way that quantifies emotion rather than time. The result is a bridged space where Latin pop dwells in what it has been and what it could be.
| 1 | Amtrack |
| 2 | Deep Seated |
| 3 | Likewise |
| 4 | It's Got To Be You |
| 5 | Lonely |
| 6 | Moon Ride |
| 7 | Purple Night |
