Mexican Summer & Anthology

Sitting on the Moon is a new compilation and low-key statement of purpose for the long running, Brooklyn-based independent label Mexican Summer. The collection features new material from artists both on our roster and beyond, all of whom wrote and recorded with the seasonal tone of "Summer" in mind. Fresh off of the imprint’s 15th anniversary in 2024, the largely instrumental collection asks “where to next?”

Label luminaries like Connan Mockasin and Dungen make eagerly anticipated appearances, while the new school, Zsela and Natural Wonder Beauty Concept, present standout tracks—the former written with Daniel Aged and Casey MQ during a recording retreat in Hawaii, the latter a cover of Chris Isaak’s eternal “Wicked Game” that’s become a live favorite for DJ Python and Ana Roxanne. Fresh off the release of his acclaimed album Gift Songs, label mainstay Jefre Cantu-Ledesma also returns with a sprawling, ten-minute sound bath to close out the compilation.

Intriguingly, Sitting on the Moon includes new names from the label’s extended universe, like Brooklyn pop upstart and Mexican Summer’s latest signing Katzin. Friends of the label are also featured, including Brazilian-British phenom Lau Ro, Mexico’s Diles que no me maten, beloved American polymath Otto Benson and the exploratory stylings of Connecticut ensemble SMG.

The compilation is anchored by the resurgent Robert Lester Folsom, whose collections for Anthology Recordings have become cult classics; his midnight rave-up “Sitting on the Moon” gives the compilation its title.

The resulting album is a mysterious and drifting set of songs evincing meandering summer nights, capturing the warmth and lightness of that Earth cycle effortlessly.