Cuco sweeps audience into lovesick stupor in Bay Area debut

Around 6 p.m. last Thursday night, fans lined out the door and around the block of the New Parish, Downtown Oakland’s intimate, high-energy music venue. Preparing for the sold-out show to come, the small crowd of teenagers gathered under the black and white sign atop the front entrance.

“Cuco,” it read. And Cuco was indeed who everyone was waiting for.

Currently one of the newest, most sought-after emerging musicians from South Los Angeles, 19-year-old Cuco has taken the world by storm. His latest releases — namely, his album Songs4u (2017) and single “Lo Que Siento” — have gained a massive following for his gorgeously layered instrumentals, simple lyricism, and Chicano character. Reminiscent of the lo-fi guitars and airy reverb of bands like DIIV or Ariel Pink, his songs lean heavily on the dreamy, beach-drenched production that characterizes nostalgic L.A. summer melodies.

Although the self-taught producer has already acquired a massive fan base for his trademark lo-fi/alt-indie sound, few know that Cuco has only been making music for the last three years.

“My first show was last September. And then my first show with a band was October 8th, [2016],” Cuco said in an interview with The B-Side. “And in March [this year], I had my first venue show. So it’s like, wow. It hasn’t been a year since my first show.”

Last Thursday’s show, then, was also Cuco’s sold-out debut in the Bay Area. Performing a large number of tracks off all his releases — including his anthem to teenage heartbreak, Wannabewithu (2016) — Cuco won over his audience’s affection with his characteristically lackadaisical vocal style, warm stage presence, and unapologetic Latin heritage (his shirt that night read, “Young, Latin, and Proud”).

The accessibility of Cuco’s music could very well be a cause of the artist’s own diversity in inspiration. In addition to citing sound as a principal inspiration, Cuco also draws inspiration from all over the music spectrum based off production style — proving a particular affinity for those who indulge in “bedroom producing” like himself.

“Louis Armstrong is one of my favorites. Tame Impala because Kevin produced 90% of everything. And a lot of prog-metal musicians [because], if they’re not in a band, they’re producing all their music [alone], like Plini/Sithu Aye. A lot of old Mexican music too, the shit my mom used to listen to. My grandpa used to always listen to Los Panchos,” he recounted. “Super old school stuff. A lot of hip-hop too.”

Now, many years later, Cuco makes it a point to make music that he’d want to listen to, orchestrating and bringing together sounds that he’s been creating in his head since he was a little kid. He hopes that, above its dreamy, nostalgic synths, his songs can be “music to fly to.”

“I remember when I would fly [on an airplane], the first thing I would see was always the beach,” the artist explained, outlining the horizon line with both of his hands. “[At] LAX, the [plane always flies first] into the ocean, so I’m like, cool. I want to make some music that I would fuck with if I was doing that.”

And, last Thursday night, Cuco definitely did.

Written by Eda Yu
Photos by Paul Luna