Baby City Club's Debut EP, Modo Club, Stands Out in Latin Trap

Latin trap's infiltration of the United States has left the duo Baby City Club with a blueprint for achieving musical fame. The group's Puerto Rico-raised brothers, June Summer and Augie Pink, have worked tirelessly over the past year to carve out their own place in the genre by refining their sound, releasing singles, and filming music videos. Their efforts culminated October 17 with the release of Modo Club, the group's debut EP.

Baby City Club's first public overture was "Mala Fama," a track that loudly announced Summer and Pink's shift away from rock 'n' roll. Previously, they'd gained a following as members of the four-piece Miami rock band Plastic Pinks. But as "Mala Fama" and their subsequent releases show, the brothers are more than comfortable switching up their musical style and artistic presentation.

The five tracks on Modo Club were produced in partnership with BeatsbyForza; Miami's A2F Studios lent a collaborative hand on the track "Nikes." From beginning to end, the EP references various strands of hip-hop, R&B, and rap, giving listeners plenty of reference points to latch onto. The single "BBYCC" sits comfortably alongside the catchy hooks that pervade the rest of the record and traffics in a heavy sound that's sometimes rare among Latin trap artists.

"You have all these tracks that are different in certain elements but somehow fit perfectly to this EP," Summer says. "It truly shows another side of us and reassures that we're going towards a direction with our sound." 

To Baby City Club, the album title Modo Club, or "Club Mode," signifies a state of mind or lifestyle in which one works hard at something while still having fun. "If it's not fun anymore, then it's not worth doing it," Pink says.
Taking influence from nonconforming Latin artists such as Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Baby City Club rejects industry standards and hopes to break the mold in the Latin market.

"All of the big labels, they have to be a little bit shook... The barriers are getting broken," Summer says. Beyond the strength of their music, Baby City Club believes maintaining the group's colorful presentation is key to its identity and relationship with audiences.

"It's opening a whole other world in artistry, not just in music but in fashion," Summer adds. "It's definitely moving in a direction where the 'machismo' is being dropped."

Although Summer and Pink are familiar with Miami's music scene through their work as Plastic Pinks, they're looking for other Latin trap artists in the city. They hope to collaborate with Kidd Keo, a Warner Music-signed trap artist from Spain who recently moved to Miami. Baby City Club is also expanding its research internationally by working closely with Kenny Bagnis and Mati Villar of the Argentina- and Miami-based label Lost Boys. The label, which seeks to break language barriers in hip-hop, trap, and rap, is hosting the "BBYCC" music video on the Lost Boys' YouTube channel.

Fans of Plastic Pinks will be happy to know Summer and Pink plan to resume the project and record new music with fresh-faced members Jake Karner and Kyle Fink of Palomino Blond. But for now, they're prioritizing Baby City Club and see Modo Club as a stepping stone on a longer artistic path.

"It opens the door to more songs we want to release," Pink says. "I want us to break through to a level of success where we can actually do whatever we want creatively."