STEFA*’s Born with an Extra Rib Influences Playlist on Flood Magazine

With their debut album out now, stefa marin alarcón shares a few favorite tracks by Empress Of, Santigold, Saul Williams, and more.

Words: Mike LeSuer

Photo: viento izquierdo ugaz

July 09, 2024

“At the heart of stefa marin alarcón’s debut album as STEFA* lies one simple question: “What myths do we inherit that keep us away from ourselves?” Based on the album’s title, Born with an Extra Rib, one can imagine that some of the answers the artist may have arrived at either stem directly from the inherent misogyny of the Old Testament creation story or the curdled sense of piousness the Christian Bible has arrived at in contemporary times, which finds itself in opposition to alarcón’s identity as a Columbian-American trans person. As they explain, with their Sepalina EP laying the emotional groundwork for the project, Extra Rib allows them to explore those emotions more deeply—whether it be a justified rage (see the album cover) or any other.”

“Yet equally to thank for the new record’s elaborate set of emotion-based songwriting is an eclectic cast of peers and pioneering musicians who helped STEFA* shape those feelings into sound, while in some cases additionally providing them with the strength to continue on as an artist. From veteran Latin musicians like Rita Indiana and Héctor Lavoe to contemporary names in indie rock and pop such as Waxahatchee and Empress Of, the multimedia artist gave us a glimpse of some of the artists that made them feel like an “untouchable baddie” as Born with an Extra Rib was coming together.”

Find their picks and read more on Flood Magazine.