Para Mi (transl. “For Me”) is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Cuco, released on July 26, 2019, through Interscope Records. The album was co-produced by Cuco and Jonathan Rado of Foxygen. The album touches on recent problems that Cuco has experienced first-hand, including a tour bus accident that sent him and his band to hospital.[1]
| Para Mi | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 26, 2019 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:39 | |||
| Language |
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| Label | Interscope Records | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Cuco chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Para Mi | ||||
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Background
editAfter the release of his fourth extended play, Chiquito, Cuco released several songs and collaborations. In 2018, he collaborated with Clairo on a non-album single called "Drown" as well as with Polyphia on a track called "So Strange" off their album New Levels New Devils. In 2019, he collaborated with his childhood Chicano rap idols MC Magic and Lil Rob on a track called "Search". Cuco signed with Interscope Records in March 2019 after a bidding war that lasted two years. On April 2, 2019, Cuco released the lead single for his album, "Hydrocodone" as well as "Bossa No Sé" featuring Jean Carter on May 22, 2019.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Crack Magazine | 6/10[4] |
| Highsnobiety |  [5] |
| Newsday | [6] |
| NME | [7] |
| Paste | 6.4/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| The 405 | 6.5/10[11] |
Para Mi received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 68, based on 10 reviews.[2] Mark Richardson of Wall Street Journal deemed the album "charmingly loose and endearingly quirky,"[12] while Suzy Exposito of Rolling Stone wrote that Cuco "transmutes various pop methodologies to create his own blend of burnout soul."[10] Hua Hsu from The New Yorker expressed that "Banos's identity comes out, subtly, through language and his affection for tender, tear-jerking soul ballads."[13] Safiya Hopfe from Exclaim! described the album as "rhythmically punchy and melodically smooth" and insisted that Cuco "juggles catchiness and variability without dropping the ball."[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro (featuring Foos Gone Wild)" | Steven Martinez | Cuco | 0:29 |
| 2. | "Keeping Tabs (featuring Suscat0)" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 3. | "Bossa No Sé (featuring Jean Carter)" |
| Cuco | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Perihelion (Interlude)" | Cuco | Cuco | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Feelings" | Cuco | Cuco | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Lovetripper" | Cuco | Cuco | 5:10 |
| 7. | "Ego Death In Thailand" | Cuco | Cuco | 3:14 |
| 8. | "Hydrocodone" | Cuco | Cuco | 2:32 |
| 9. | "Far Away From Home" | Cuco |
| 4:26 |
| 10. | "Brokey The Pear (Interlude)" | Cuco | Cuco | 1:25 |
| 11. | "Best Friend" | Cuco | Cuco | 2:30 |
| 12. | "Room Tone (Interlude)" | Cuco | Cuco | 1:11 |
| 13. | "Do Better" | Cuco | Cuco | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 37:39 | |||
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the AllMusic webpage on Para Mi.[15]
Performers
edit- Cuco – production, vocals, arrangement
- Gabe Baltazar – guitar
- Fernando Carabajal – guitar
- Jean Carter - vocals, arrangement
- Julian Farias - drums
- Esai Salas - bass
- Suscat0 - vocals
- Mauria Tapia - drums
Production and recording
edit- Cuco - mixing, producer
- Jonathan Rado - engineer, producer
- Lars Stalfors - mastering, mixing
- Nicholas Ladron De Guevara - engineer
- Anthony Dolhai - mixing
- Steven Martinez - arrangement
- Tristan Friedberg Rodman - assistant engineer
- David Rodriguez - arrangement
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[16] | 94 |
| US Top Alternative Albums[17] | 6 |
References
edit- ^ Lopez, Julyssa (July 5, 2019). "Cuco went from nerdy kid to indie-music hero — and shattered Latino stereotypes in the process". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "Para Mi by Cuco", Metacritic, retrieved August 19, 2019
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Para Mi – Cuco". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Indiana, Jake. "Cuco – 'Para Mi' review". Crack Magazine. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Fell, Sul (July 30, 2019). "Cuco - 'Para Mi' Review". Highsnobiety. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (July 24, 2019). "'Para Mi': Cuco's ambitious major-label debut". Newsday. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (August 2, 2019). "Cuco – 'Para Mi' review". NME. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Todd, Harry (July 26, 2019). "Cuco: Para Mi". Paste. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Bromwich, Jonah (July 26, 2019). "Cuco: Para Mi". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Exposito, Suzy (July 31, 2019). "Cuco Floats Up From Rock Bottom on Long-Awaited Debut 'Para Mí'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ McMullen, Chase (July 31, 2019). "Review: Cuco takes it easy with his charming, if lightweight, debut, Para Mi". The 405. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (July 24, 2019). "'Para Mi' by Cuco Review: Every Song a Diary Entry". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Hsu, Hua (July 26, 2019). "The Extreme Highs and Lows of Cuco's Début Album, "Para Mí"". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Hopfe, Safiya (July 24, 2019). "Cuco Para Mi". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Para Mi - Cuco | Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "Billboard Top 200 Albums | Week of Aug 10 2019". Billboard. August 10, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard Alternative Albums | Week of Aug 10". Billboard. August 10, 2019.