De Cuba Son turn up the heat with debut singles

Local Latin-jazz group De Cuba Son are celebrating the release of their debut singles Melancolia and Incandescente with a launch show on Friday, November 20, at Lyric’s Underground.

De Cuba Son have been a mainstay of the Perth/Boorloo live music scene for 10 years now, but in recent years, band leaders Arvis Mena (Cuba/Aus) and Jeremias Sosa (Argentina/Aus) pivoted from their repertoire of classic Cuban songs and began writing original music together.

Influenced by the genre, Son Cubano, as well as salsa, jazz, flamenco and contemporary styles, Mena and Sosa sing largely in their native Spanish tongue and present their show in English for a diverse local audience.

In classic Latino style, De Cuba Son’s energetic and uplifting music is an unsuspecting conduit for heavy lyrical content. Melancolia and Incandescente, which translate from Spanish to English as ‘Melancholy’ and ‘Incandescent’, are both highly danceable tracks.

The music feels uplifting; however, the lyrics express the hardships of living far away from loved ones. Originating from Cuba, Argentina and Colombia, De Cuba Son members have made WA home, and their songs reflect the beauty, complexity and richness of migration, making a new place home, and sharing diverse cultures with friends, family and the wider community.

De Cuba Son launch their singles with the full eight-piece ensemble, which includes a three-piece horn section featuring local jazz legends Marc Osborne on saxophone, Marty Pervan on trumpet and Alex Parkinson on trombone. De Cuba Son mainstays, percussionist Oslu Castaneda (Colombia/AU) and drummer Chris Tarr will be cooking up ‘ritmos sabrosos’ (tasty rhythms) along with pianist Tom Salleo.

De Cuba Son’s latest tracks Melancolia and Incandescente are out on all streaming platforms on Friday, November 13, 2026. De Cuba Son hit Lyric’s Underground for their launch show on Friday, November 20, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from lyricsunderground.oztix.com.au