People are always thrown off when they meet me. I have a Russian first name, a Honduran last name, and can speak pretty good Hungarian with a New York accent. I can’t count the times I’ve been asked, verbatim, “what are you?”

I also love the beach. Give me a towel on a tropical island with reggaeton playing in the background to satisfy my Latina half. But also give me sunscreen and an umbrella for my Eastern European skin.

In these ways I’m like Bad Bunny’s newest album Un Verano Sin Ti, or A Summer Without You, wildly diverse with a beach backdrop and a sprinkle of heartbreak.

This is the fourth studio album for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, or as his fans lovingly refer to Bad Bunny, Benito.

The album starts with the sound of waves crashing and seagulls squawking on “Moscow Mule.” It’s a typical Benito song, but as it ends we’re hit with the curveball of “Después de la Playa” (After the Beach) where about a minute in the trumpets hit and you’re transported into a
Dominican merengue song. It’s at this point you realize the album was recorded between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and you’re strapping yourself in for a wild ride.

Lots of the songs on the album reflect Benito’s musical roots - “Me Porto Bonito,” “La Corriente,” and “Dos Mil 16” to name a few - but in an album of 23 songs, Benito knew he had to switch it up and for that I’m grateful.

 

“Yo No Soy Celoso” can only be described as Latin elevator music. “Me Fui de Vacaciones” has steel drums that make you feel like you’re poolside at a resort. At first listen through, you don’t know what style Benito is about to try next.

Not only is it diverse in music style, it’s diverse in its featured artists. Bad Bunny collaborates with Jhay Cortez once more, who you might know from their first collaboration, Billboard Top 10 song “Dakiti.” Cortez is featured on “Tarot” and in my opinion “Dakiti” is the better collaboration and song overall. Other reggaeton stars make appearances - Rauw Alejandro and Chencho Corleone, one half of the duo Plan B, - but it's the unexpected features that are the highlights.

“Otro Atardecer” (Another Sunset) features Los Angeles band The Marías and “Ojitos Lindos” (Pretty Eyes) features Bomba Estereo, a Columbian up and coming electronic-psychedelic band. Both songs feature ethereal vocals from their female leads but out of the two, “Otro Atardecer” is my favorite. The way María Zardoya’s voice blends with Bad Bunny’s is something that dreams are made of. Zardoya even sings a bit in English, reminding the listener that this collaboration is something different than Benito has ever done before.

 

Though it’s diverse, Bad Bunny doesn’t want you to forget where he comes from. “El Apagón,” or “The Blackout,” is a love letter to home island Puerto Rico. The title references the blackouts caused by Hurricane Maria and the privatization of the power grid in Puerto Rico which caused soaring prices for the poor in the country. Though the title is political, the song decides to focus solely on what Bad Bunny loves about his home. His girlfriend, Gabriela Berlingeri, sings the song’s outro to combine his two favorite things: Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican women.

It wouldn’t be a Bad Bunny album without heartbreak. Some of his best known songs reflect heartbreak, like “Yonaguni” or “Si Veo a Tu Mamá” (If I See Your Mom).

 

“Un Coco” (The Coconut) might be my favorite sad song on the album. He sings “Vo'a tirar el radio pa'l mar si sale Sin Bandera porque no puedo escuchar cancione' dе romance,” or “I’ll throw the radio in the sea if Sin Bandera plays because I can’t listen to romance songs” which is a small throwback for those who grew up hearing Sin Bandera, a Latin duo known for their love songs, in the early 2000s.

Before listening to this album, I felt Benito was a bit of a one trick pony, and I know his diehard fans will crucify me for even thinking that. But his songs sounded too similar. I can’t say that after listening to Un Verano Sin Ti.

I have some definite favorites on the album, like “Después de la Playa,” the Dominican
merengue surprise, and “Tití Me Preguntó,” or “Auntie Asks Me.” “Tití Me Preguntó” is a song any Latinx person can relate to. We all have a tití, or auntie, constantly asking us in some form, “Tienes un novio?” Or in English, “Do you have a boyfriend?” Also something any single person over 25 is used to hearing, no matter the ethnicity.

 

At the core of it, Un Verano Sin Ti, is a quintessential Bad Bunny album about heartbreak and his reggaeton roots. But Benito throws in different musical genres to show he can excel in any genre of his choice.

So everyone grab that Pina Colada, put the album on, and pretend you’re in Puerto Rico with Benito.