San Lazaro – La Despedida

San Lazaro's La Despedida is a breakup album that transcends its premise. Drawing from a decade of Melbourne-based Latin music creation, this collection weaves Afrocuban rumba, son montuno, and Chilean protest-folk into a cohesive whole. Sung entirely in Spanish, the songs explore alienation, loss, and resilience across personal and political landscapes. The production is deliberately understated, letting the band's musicianship and identity emerge clearly. What emerges is an ambitious yet effortless record—a synthesis of diasporic influences unified by a band that knows itself intimately.