On the last Friday of every month, She Shreds shares our staff picks of what we’ve been grooving on lately. Here’s our November staff favorites!

From our Issue 13 cover artist Juana Molina’s new energized punk EP, Dolly Parton’s America and the story of a legend, the Song Exploder episode that features Jay Som’s “Tenderness,” and Mon Laferte’s political protest at the 2019 Latin Grammys and her latest single “Plata ta tá”—we’ve got you covered with our November Staff Favorites.

Cynthia Schemmer | Managing Editor

Forfun, Juana Molina

Our Issue #13 cover artist Juana Molina released the EP, Forfun, last month and I’m 100% here for it. The Argentine experimental pop musician has written a joyous punk EP that stems from a major festival set Molina and her band had to improvise through when they were without their own instruments. ​The result is a four-song EP full of punk energy and Molina’s signature sound of looping vocals and instrumentation.

While every song is incredible (I truly can’t get enough to Molina’s music), I’ve been playing “Vagos Punk” on repeat. The song showcases a different side of Molina’s songwriting through a sweet, melodic pop song—I’m always so impressed by Molina’s multitudes.

Watch the hand-drawn animated video for the single, “Paraguaya Punk” below, by Argentine director Dante Zaballa.

Hannah Soffa | Creative Director

WNYC’s Dolly Parton’s America

After an Appalachian road trip, I’ve been listening to all of my old country records a lot. I got really excited when I found out about WNYC’s Dolly Parton’s America. It’s a podcast series hosted by Jad Abumrad (of Radiolab) that goes into the personal life, songwriting, and legacy of Dolly Parton.  It’s a really great look into a legend—the impact she has had throughout her career and continues to have now. And in a time when a lot of this country is pretty divided, it’s rad to know that Dolly Parton seems to be a unifier.

Ashley Vaughn | Social Media Director, Junior Designer

Song Exploder – Jay Som, “Tenderness”

Song Exploder is a podcast that is currently hosted by Thao Nguyen, in which a musician shares their creative process into how one of their songs came together. They will oftentimes go through each instrumental part, and sometimes share a story or anything that has inspired them. The episodes are bite-sized; I will sometimes put it on if I feel stuck during my own music writing process. Take a listen to a recent Song Exploder episode exploring the song “Tenderness” by Jay Som from their 2019 album, Anak Ko.

Catch Jay Som on tour early next year.

Peter Condra | Operations Manager

Mon Laferte – “Plata ta tá”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B433Ox4lQ_x/

Chilean musician Mon Laferte made international headlines at the 2019 Latin GRAMMYs this month when she revealed a powerful political protest written across her bare chest: “EN CHILE TORTURAN VIOLAN Y MATAN” (In Chile they torture, rape, and kill). Also of significance was her choice of the green bandana around her neck, which throughout Latin America has become the symbol of the “Green Tide” pro-choice and women’s rights movement.   

Far from a spur of the moment decision, the display was followed up with the release of a reggaeton protest anthem, “Plata ta tá,” featuring Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa. The title of the track is a play on the word for money, a jab likely pointed at Chile’s billionaire president, Sebastián Piñera.

Laferte’s actions are part of a growing response to murders and abuses at the hands of Chilean security forces, which have been deployed in response to weeks of protests which began this October in Santiago. What started as a protest over increased fares on the Santiago Metro has escalated into a nationwide protest with millions taking to the streets, demanding social and economic reform.

“Plata Ta Tá” follows the single “Cacerolazo” by French/Chilean rapper and activist Ana Tijoux, a protest song which directly calls for the resignation of President Piñera and was released in October. The addictive beat, produced by Jon Grandcamp, samples the sound of cacerolazo, which refers to the tradition in Chile and Argentina of banging pots and pans as a form of calling attention to a demonstration. “Cacerolazo” juxtaposes this peaceful form of protest with the violence of Chilean police, which have left 22 dead and more than 2,300 injured since the start of October’s protests: “Cuchara de palo frente a tus balazos” (Wooden spoon in front of your bullets).