Girl Ultra, Jasper Bones

Torch(song)bearer for Mexican R&B en Espanol, Girl Ultra said she leaned on divination pre-pandemic, to provide “a map of people before I meet them.” Today, 26-year-old Mariana de Miguel prefers to discover people on her own. Her music, ostensibly as rare as a snowball’s chance (see: dearth of Mexican R&B stars), has transformed similarly, perhaps also motivated by the urge to exist in “the depths of experimentation.” From a string of organic, sultry-smooth R&B comes Al Sur, an EP doused in house, UK garage, and indie rock.

“I have many reasons why I shifted Girl Ultra’s path,” says de Miguel. “It was fueled, of course, by all these club-era moments that I lived when I was younger.” Four new songs plumb her early-Aughts electronic habits, and three skew rock. Gently skittering UK garage song “Para q te acuerdes de mi,” is her favorite of the EP.

“All of these awakenings that happened to me in the south of Mexico City when I was a teenager – I was trying to replicate these new feelings about love, sex, music, about friendships,” she said. Raves and rock aside, de Miguel recently connected with Austin producer/luminary Adrian Quesada to feature on forthcoming LP, Boleros Psicodélicos, and is collaborating with Canadian funk duo Chromeo on an all Spanish language album. Typical Scorpio energy.