The Weekly Coos

It’s safe to say I was more tepid about Bad Bunny’s last album because of how bloated it felt and its loss of focus amidst the plethora of features. It was as if he couldn’t hold down an identity like in past albums and instead just tried to hone in on the heights of his popularity. It came with some drawbacks, like hearing the overexposure of his sex life in certain songs or delivering more rudimentary reggaeton, which would leave most people skipping. However, that bump in the road remained, and he has taken control of the wheel with his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which translates to “I should have taken more photos.” It brings a feeling of longing with reflections; it’s a focal point of Bad Bunny’s wall-breaking, allowing us to see his deeper side, even when the music has been homogenized with the content the artists speak about. Though he isn’t one to deviate from the formula completely, as he delivers bangers, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is a refreshing change of pace. Bad Bunny digs into salsa’s influence on reggaeton, and himself and morphs into this fantastic, rhythmically fluid feat of greatness.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos is confined to a concise rhythmic identity that treads familiarity through these two core genres and heavily focuses on the identity he wants to bring. It’s apparent after warming up the album with a hybrid in “NUEVAYol,” which samples “Un Verano En Nueva York” by El Gran Combo, showcasing how the two coincide, and then delivers another reggaeton banger à la Bad Bunny. It’s the appetizer letting the pure salsa joint in “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” hit, showing us exactly who he’s always been. It makes what follows something grandiose while continuing to reflect who he’s always been musically. What makes it better, and for worse, is that it can feel longer than its runtime because of the influx of tracks (17), so its pacing may not fit expectations. Some pulse-pounding heaters will turn up the dance floor, but it’s an album that requires patience to navigate what you’re hearing, especially with the unique sonic transitions that come with it. It’s why the highs shine and the lows diminish into the flow since its lows mostly include the apropos reggaeton tracks you won’t hate. There is an equilibrium, giving onus to what he wants to convey, musically.

Bad Bunny tried doing too much with Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, not honing his strengths, and attempting to sound current with the times, especially with the influx of features with burgeoning artists like Young Miko, Luar L, and YvngChimi. It felt forced, and though there were some great songs, it didn’t have much musical direction, but when it hit… it hit hard, even if he got overshadowed by some of the featured artists via writing. That has shifted with the new album, delivering a more confined approach that hones in on the salsa genre and how to blend its fixtures into the production, like the percussion notes on “WELTiTA” or the strings and shakers on “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAII,” broadening its horizons. One can nitpick and say they wished the album was more of this instead of a hybrid, but it’s all relative to Bad Bunny’s identity. It’s why the acoustics of “TURiSTA” have a significant impact unlike “EoO,” where its nuances to 2000s reggaeton aren’t as profound and feel like the production is playing it safe. However, it makes songs like “VeLDÁ” and “EL ClúB” so much better in hindsight, especially as they expand their reach and deliver great production beneath great writing.

Being short and confined benefits Debí Tirar Más Fotos and what it wants to convey as a project. It’s filled with reflections; sometimes, it is in the same cornucopia of content we hear regularly. There is more intrigue in the writing since Bad Bunny isn’t always trying to be the life of the party. When he is, especially with the salsa-driven tracks like the title track, “CAFé CON RON,” or the final track, it brings everything together into one momentous feat of memorability. I love that Bad Bunny is back to focusing on the music more personally, giving the writing more nuance as he can shift emotions while keeping that identity present, and here, it’s cultural. That’s why the opening track is so emphatic about the city of New York and its boroughs since salsa music took full shape here through the concoction of sounds from the Caribbean Latin islands’ music like Puerto Rico. The callbacks to artists and cities like the Bronx and more shape the foundation for a wave of artists to emerge per era. It brought me back to a song by Eddie Dee and 12 Reggaeton artists as they made a posse cut in homage to Los Doce Discipulos, a salsa mega group that was created here in the 1970s. Nothing more I could have asked for.

There has been no denial regarding how I feel about the album, specifically its production, elevating it to newer heights. It’s as if we are hearing a clear direction and purpose instead of a bloated mess of reggaeton, trap, rap, and pop without a thesis to connect them. Debí Tirar Más Fotos has momentous highs that kept me afloat, wanting to keep listening to it more and more, as opposed to Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, where it felt like there was more catering to the fans than anything else. There was enough to like there, but there is more to love here. Bad Bunny makes a grand stamp to start 2025 with a heater; it doesn’t disappoint. Much of my dislike stems from nitpicks and some tracks that show they don’t have the luster of others, but at least it all connects into an opus that will find new life again come summer.