Grupo Frontera’s experimental sophomore album, Jugando Que No Pasa Nada, is almost here. Rolling Stone can exclusively reveal the project’s cover art and track list, which includes collabs with Nicki Nicole, Christian Nodál, Maluma, and Morat.
The LP, out Friday, features 12 tracks that hear the band add R&B, pop, and bachata to their typical cumbia norteña sound. The album cover features a cartoon of an old truck, similar to the artwork on El Comienzo, but the truck’s bed is on fire this time. A small faceless character wearing a cowboy hat sits on the hood. (See the cover art and track list below.)
The songs on the album include “Por Qué Será” with Maluma, “Desquite” with Nicki Nicole, “Echándote de Menos,” and “Ibiza.” There’s also a cumbia with Morat titled “Los Dos,” which the boys of Frontera tell Rolling Stone served as a full-circle moment for them after Frontera blew up with a cover of “No Se Va” last year.
“They were proud of us, and they’d never seen any artist release a cover of a song and it go viral a little bit more than the original. But at that point, we were hoping that we might have a song together one day,” vocalist Payo Solis says. “The song that we have with them, they wrote for us alone, and when they sent it to us, we were like, ‘Why don’t y’all hop on?’ They wanted to test the waters first.”
The group also said they were exploring new “musical ideas” with their go-to songwriter and producer, Edgar Barrera, for the album. They even tried out muted drums, synths, and steel guitars reminiscent of George Strait.
“He’d be like, ‘You’re down to do that?’ And we really were. We really let him experiment,” drummer Carlos Guerrero said. At times, Solís added, “We were skeptical and thought, ‘How’s this going to sound?’ But honestly, we jam out to every song on the new album.”
Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada follows El Comienzo, which dropped last summer. The group also recently collaborated with Shakira on “Entre Parentesis.”
Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada Track List
1. “F*ckin Amor”
2. “Por Qué Será” ft. Maluma
3. “Desquite” ft. Nicki Nicole
4. “Me Hizo Un Favor”
5. “Los Dos” ft. Morat
6. “Ya Pedo Quién Sabe” ft. Christian Nodal
7. “No Hay Vato Perfecto”
8. “Echándote De Menos”
9. “Nunca La Olvidé”
10. “No Sé Qué Pasó”
11. “Ibiza”
12. “Quédate Bebé”
