Every week, La Alternativa delivers the very best from the Latin alternative scene by curating a blend of emerging and established artists within the Latin diaspora, while providing a platform to champion our growing local music scene. Listen on demand here and on 88Nine from 10-11 p.m. every Wednesday.
La Alternativa has been such a fresh way to share an amazing variety of records, from artists rooted right here in the Midwest to sounds emerging from small towns in Mexico and beyond.
Silvana Estrada’s “Good Luck, Good Night” is the latest preview from Vendrán Nuevas Lluvias, her album set to release Oct. 17. Estrada has been steadily rolling out singles since May (five in total), and each one has been intricately composed and paired with striking visuals. The artwork often captures her in contemplative stillness, gazing off in the distance, which has become a subtle thread of the album’s aesthetic.
“Good Luck, Good Night” is a heartbreak song, dramatic in the best possible way. Estrada herself has laughed at the irony of creating something so intense and theatrical, yet the track builds with a kind of dizzying anticipation that lands right in the delirium of loss. It’s raw and vulnerable, and captures the abruptness of endings — not polished, but truthful.
Estrada has often been called “the voice of a new generation of Mexican folk,” but her reach stretches far beyond genre. Her background as a poet and composer shines in her ability to weave traditional Latin American son jarocho roots with jazz, classical and indie influences. Fans of Lhasa de Sela will feel the resonance here. The emotional gravity and the haunting beauty of Estrada’s vocals carry a clear nod to de Sela’s legacy.
This single is both a farewell and a doorway, closing one chapter while opening another in Estrada’s already celebrated career.
Episode playlist
- Duendita & Noah Becker, “Bassline”
- Leanys, “Besame”
- day2k, “q no paso?”
- Espiritu System, “Brillando”
- Danny Schiller, “Only a Dream”
- CERO39 & MULA, “Las Pequenas Cosas”
- YADAM, “PORTATE BIEN”
- Delmar, “Fuego Lento”
- Bratty & Barry B, “otro dias mas”
- Silvana Estrada, “Good Luck, Good Night”
- Lhasa de Sela, “La Frontera”
- Abel, “Lloro”
- HUMBE, “KINTSUGI”
- ASTROPICAL, “Fogata (Leo)”
- Vera GRV & Toni Anzis, “CURA PA MI ALMA”
