Phoenix band Fayuca’s new album ‘Clementine’ blooms

For more than a decade, Phoenix’s Fayuca has been one of the Valley’s most quietly consistent acts — genre‑bending and fiercely intentional. 

Fayuca refined those sounds for their new album, “Clementine,” which was released Feb. 6. The trio will be featured at Reggae Rise Up Arizona on Saturday, April 18.

“Clementine” marks a new chapter for the West Valley act, one that feels hard‑earned yet organic. Puerto Rico-born frontman Gabo Fayuca called the last two years a period of transition — personally, creatively and spiritually.

The band penned the songs at Fayuca’s home and in Matt Keller’s Globe recording studio, pouring “every ounce of energy into writing the best music we possibly could,” says Fayuca, a Tolleson High School graduate. “Nothing was forced. Everything was intentional.”

The approach shows: “Clementine” still revolves around reggae, but the edges are cleaner — cumbia grooves, punk flashes and subtle jazz chords that build momentum. Fayuca says the record sounds like a reinvention without abandoning Fayuca’s DNA. 

“It shows a level of maturity,” Fayuca says. “We stayed reggae‑forward, but we pushed ourselves. We wanted every melody, every chord, every lyric to project the right emotion.”

Fans seem to agree, as “Clementine” charted on iTunes during pre-saves, he says. 

For years, Phoenix’s reggae‑rock community simmered. Shows attracted steady crowds, but not quite a movement. That’s evolving, he says.

“In the last two years, it’s blown up,” Fayuca says. “There are so many good local reggae bands now. Everyone has a fan base. Everyone’s packing venues. It feels like a real scene.”

Fayuca has been part of that foundation, playing everywhere from St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, to a “420 on the Rocks” gig at Red Rocks in Colorado with Sublime.

But nothing hits like a hometown crowd. At Reggae Rise Up Arizona, the band will lean heavily into “Clementine,” while acknowledging its fan-favorite punk-reggae tunes. Guest musicians are expected for a “family‑style” jam session, Fayuca says.

“Festivals are like reunions,” he adds. “You’ve toured with these bands, you’ve shared green rooms, you’ve shared stories. When everyone’s finally in one place, you bring them up. You make it a moment.”

Expect cumbia rhythms, extended jams, improvisation and the kind of crowd‑responsive energy that has become a Fayuca trademark. If a groove hits just right, the band will stretch it. If the crowd wants more, they’ll get it.

“We write a set list, but we’re not married to it,” Fayuca says. “If the energy shifts, we shift with it.

“If the crowd’s really feeling it, we’ll improvise, jam, extend songs and, if the crowd’s really feeling it, go for 16 measures. We’ll keep it going.”

“Clementine” feels like a return to the spark that started in a garage years ago, when Fayuca realized that music could take him beyond the neighborhood.

“We’ve always been authentic,” he says. “We’ve always written from the heart. But this record … it’s us at our most connected. If we love it, if we feel it, then our fans will feel it too.”