Biography
Known as Marinero, singer-songwriter Jess Sylvester first shaped a hazy bedroom indie project laced with Latin touches before steering it toward a more intricate musical landscape that echoed Broadcast, Carole King, Los Pasteles Verdes, and Ennio Morricone. Early efforts leaned noisier, as heard on the 2018 release High Tone, yet subsequent work tightened into a hushed, introspective palette with 2019’s TRÓPICO DE CÁNCER; by 2021 the follow-up Hella Love arrived as meticulously layered as any Beach Boys album while folding in abundant soft Latin textures.
During the early 2010s Sylvester performed with Bay Area outfits Violent Change and Tiger Uppercut! and partnered with Los Amparito’s Carlos Pesina in the sample-driven duo Francisco y Madero. His debut under the Marinero banner arrived in 2016 with the Chican@ EP, whose guitar-centric psychedelic rock approach featured drumming by Ryan Michael Keller of Self Care. Two mixtapes followed—Cholo Hi-FI Vol II: High Mija and Cholo Hi-FI Vol III: B Side Brujas—blending classic soul ballads, Latin soul groovers, and murky psychedelic funk into late-night sessions.
The next Marinero outing, 2018’s High Tone, absorbed the mixtapes’ spirit while adding wobbly Beach Boys harmonies, bedroom balladry, and introspective singer-songwriter leanings; Keller returned on drums and an occasional small horn section appeared. The project’s first full-length, TRÓPICO DE CÁNCER, raised recording standards, leaned further into Latin influences and bossa nova rhythms, and brought Sylvester’s vocals to the foreground. Cut alone at Private Palace Studios in Zapopan, Jalisco, the album surfaced in July 2019, caught the ear of Hardly Art Records, and secured the label’s support for his next release.
That sophomore album, Hella Love, expanded the palette with Pat Thomas on bass and keys, Bee Wright on guitar, drummer John Wujcik, and a full horn section. The result is a denser, more deliberately arranged refinement of the prior sound, now incorporating soft-rock polish, glittery disco beats, and sweeping vocal harmonies around ever-intimate vocals. Jason Kick of Mild High Club co-produced the sessions, which took place in Oakland shortly before Sylvester relocated from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.
During the early 2010s Sylvester performed with Bay Area outfits Violent Change and Tiger Uppercut! and partnered with Los Amparito’s Carlos Pesina in the sample-driven duo Francisco y Madero. His debut under the Marinero banner arrived in 2016 with the Chican@ EP, whose guitar-centric psychedelic rock approach featured drumming by Ryan Michael Keller of Self Care. Two mixtapes followed—Cholo Hi-FI Vol II: High Mija and Cholo Hi-FI Vol III: B Side Brujas—blending classic soul ballads, Latin soul groovers, and murky psychedelic funk into late-night sessions.
The next Marinero outing, 2018’s High Tone, absorbed the mixtapes’ spirit while adding wobbly Beach Boys harmonies, bedroom balladry, and introspective singer-songwriter leanings; Keller returned on drums and an occasional small horn section appeared. The project’s first full-length, TRÓPICO DE CÁNCER, raised recording standards, leaned further into Latin influences and bossa nova rhythms, and brought Sylvester’s vocals to the foreground. Cut alone at Private Palace Studios in Zapopan, Jalisco, the album surfaced in July 2019, caught the ear of Hardly Art Records, and secured the label’s support for his next release.
That sophomore album, Hella Love, expanded the palette with Pat Thomas on bass and keys, Bee Wright on guitar, drummer John Wujcik, and a full horn section. The result is a denser, more deliberately arranged refinement of the prior sound, now incorporating soft-rock polish, glittery disco beats, and sweeping vocal harmonies around ever-intimate vocals. Jason Kick of Mild High Club co-produced the sessions, which took place in Oakland shortly before Sylvester relocated from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.
Albums
Singles
