Song Recommendation: “La Culpa” by Chercán (2025)

Chilean progressive rockers Chercán (great name) introduce their latest album with a stunning 7 minute mini-epic that surges on waves of chugging guitars and tightly wound blasting horns. Singer Martín Peña-Voces really swings for the fences with a high-wire vocal delivery that shifts from hysterical high-register growls to smooth crooning with an ease of a wizened prog-rock veteran. Halfway through the track we get a fantastic breakdown with horns that build tension before what sounds like a wall of distorted guitars and roiling drums build to an orchestrally flourished finale. It’s a bracing piece of music that is only the beginning of a great album.