Los Thuthanaka’s Wak’a Offers a Softer Sound After Last Year’s Unexpected Hit

Los Thuthanaka burst onto the scene last year, snagging album of the year honors with their self-titled debut. However, since it wasn’t on streaming platforms, it didn’t get the attention it deserved. I honestly forgot about it until it topped a year-end list. Looking back, it’s hard to understand how it slipped my mind. Los Thuthanaka’s sound is truly one of a kind—joyful, jagged, and reminiscent of music blaring from a broken Bluetooth speaker in a neighbor’s backyard; it’s simply glorious.

Their follow-up EP, Wak’a, slows things down a bit and smooths out some of the rough edges. It retains the same sonic palette of blown-out speakers and sampled traditional Bolivian instruments, blending elements of plunderphonics and psychedelic rock. Yet, Wak’a also draws heavily from shoegaze, featuring more wistful chord progressions and melodies, with guitars enveloped in fuzz and reverb. Horns and keys weave through the mix like half-remembered echoes of other tunes.

Siblings Chuquimamani-Condori and Joshua Chuquimia Crampton craft an auditory retelling of the Aymara creation myth about the first sunrise across three tracks that total just 18 and a half minutes. Purchasing Wak’a on Bandcamp includes a PDF created in collaboration with Ch’ama Native Americas, which narrates the story in the Aymara language.

The EP feels like a world emerging from darkness. The opening track, “Quta (capo-kullawada),” begins with a low synth drone and chirping crickets before an Eno-inspired guitar melody and a loping distorted drum line kick in. “Wara Wara (capo-kullawada)” is both beautiful and terrifying, with a wall of sound that feels oppressive, much like the first rays of sunlight would to those who have lived in perpetual night. It builds to a cathartic climax that many artists spend their entire careers trying to achieve, as horns, keyboards, growling vocals, and asymmetrical guitars collide in a chaotic inferno.

In contrast, “Ay Kawkinpachasa? (capo-kullawada)” serves as a soothing comedown, despite its dense arrangement where individual instruments become increasingly hard to distinguish. Sounds resembling accordion, fiddle, and keys vie for attention, while stuttering guitars eventually take over just as the EP draws to a close.

For anyone who found the group’s debut a bit too abrasive, this EP provides a more accessible entry point into their distinctive sound. Los Thuthanaka’s Wak’a is now available on Bandcamp.