Luis Alfredo Del Valle and Raquel Berrios, the Puerto Rican duo that makes up Buscabulla (slang for troublemaker), just released remixes of their songs “Vámono,” “Ta Que Tiembla,” and “NTE,” from their debut album Regresa, which dropped in May.

Regresa is brimming with rage and righteous despair, which wasn’t difficult for Berríos and Del Valle to channel. In the aftermath of Hurricane María in 2017, the duo returned home after living in New York City. The storm caused a lot of devastation, and President Trump spread a damaging rhetoric about residents of the island, saying that they “wanted everything done for them.”

When they returned, Buscabulla wanted to be a part of local communities and assist in their rebuilding efforts, as co-founders of the non-profit PRIMA Fund (Puerto Rican Independent Musicians and Artists.) PRIMA Fund serves the independent music scene with financial support and other resources. 

Their R&B inspired song, “No Sabemos,” shows there’s a sense of hopelessness and uncertainty, but glimmers of light are beginning to show. 

“Sigue sin mirar a dónde vamos a parar, porque lo que no conoces te puede salvar.” 

(Keep going without knowing where we are going to end/Because what you don’t know can save you.)

Buscabulla first wrote “Vámono” after returning to Puerto Rico, expressing the urgency of their journey and the overwhelming fear of not knowing what will come next. The music video features traditions from each of their hometowns: vejigante masks from Carnaval de Ponce and the Festival de Las Mascaras of Hatillo.

“Viene vámonos que es tarde ya,” (come on let 's go, it is already late.)

“¿Quién me va ayudar?” (who will help me?)

Buscabulla has been defined by Puerto Rican pride. Earlier releases combined a lot of different sounds, like reggaeton, salsa and pop synth. But as time went on, a sense of dread crept into their lyrics, as their beloved island was hit with political corruption, numerous financial crises and natural disasters. 

The striking title Regresa, which translates to “return” or “come back” balances these nervous feelings with the unhindered joy of coming home. 

“It’s a paradise, but it’s hard to live in. Now that we’ve been here for two years, I realized I carried an uncomfortable feeling while I lived in New York, like I was waiting to exhale. There’s just something about this place that always calls you back. We feel whole again,” Berríos told Bandcamp.