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Cuco: Tiny Desk Concert

NPR | By Anamaria Artemisa Sayre
Published April 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM EDT

With a Dr. Simi doll in front of him, pop cariño Cuco brought every single piece of who he is and his artistry to El Tiny.

Slow-rolling through a set of four tracks, he seamlessly blended the soul of chicano ballads and the smooth energy of soft rock anthems. Opening with gentle vocals and simple chords on "Pendant," Cuco brought corazon from an earlier era to his concert. Closing out the emo moment with a sweet guitar solo, he moved on to the tranquil percussion of "Hydrocodone," delivering heartbroken melody and transporting the audience back to the bedroom where his songwriting career first began.

Complementing the rumbling bass with some light synth, he showcases that same soulful energy on "Feelings," and closes out the set with the bumpy, bilingual new track "Under the Sun," shifting to cumbia rhythms as he swaps languages. The guitar-heavy, percussive-laden show invites the audience to share in a Cuco we've never seen before, all parts heartbroken, hopeful, and evolving.

SET LIST

  • "Pendant"

    •
  • "Hydrocodone"

  • "Feelings"

  • "Under the Sun" 

    • MUSICIANS

  • Cuco: vocals, guitar, keys

  • Esai: bass, vocals

  • Fern: guitar, vocals

  • Allan Olivares: guitar, percussion, vocals 

  • Julian Farias: drums

    • TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producers: Bobby Carter, Felix Contreras

  • Director/Editor: Kara Frame

  • Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin

  • Creative Director: Bob Boilen

  • Videographers:  Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel

  • Audio Assistant: Neil Tevault 

  • Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Maia Stern, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Pilar Galván, Jill Britton

  • VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

  • Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

    • Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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    Anamaria Artemisa Sayre
    Anamaria Artemisa Sayre is co-host of Alt.Latino.

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    Federal funding is gone.

    Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

    That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

    The future of public media is in your hands.

    All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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