Por dentro

La Vela Puerca has always had that ability to blend rhythms with a streetwise yet polished vibe, and Por dentro is a great example. The song doesn’t settle for the obvious: it kicks off with a groove that oscillates between ska and rock, but what makes it stand out is the interplay of trumpets that appear and disappear like a whisper. It’s not a track that hits you right away; instead, it hooks you with layers of sound that overlap without ever losing the pulse. The bass and drums carry the rhythmic weight, but it’s the brass that gives it that festive air—at the same time intimate, as if the party were happening right next to where you are.

The album where Por dentro was born —Deskarado— came out at a pivotal moment for the band. They recorded it in Montevideo with limited resources, but with the help of Claudio Taddei, who shaped the sound. That material led them to play at Montevideo’s Teatro de Verano in the summer of '98, opening for Los Piojos and earning a gold record. But the real leap came when Gustavo Santaolalla took an interest in their music: he remixed the album and re-released it through Surco/Universal in late 1999. By then, they were no longer just a rock band with trumpets, but a group that crossed borders without losing its essence.