Editor’s Note: This article has been translated into Spanish by El Eco Copy Editor Danessi Valiente. You can find the Spanish version here.
The Crystal Tears, a local goth band from Ventura County, released a music video for their protest song “Hielo Derretido” on Feb. 9 amid heightened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the area. The song is part of the band’s extended play “Oxnard Soul,” a homage to the people of Oxnard.
The band formed in 2023 under the name Los Bellos, covering songs from artists such as Los Terricolas and Sunny Ozuna. Eventually, they changed their name to The Crystal Tears to reflect the band’s current sound—a mix of soul, cumbia and goth.
“We wanted [our name] to kind of represent our sound as it was becoming a little more goth, still having some soul influence, but definitely going towards a more goth and eventually more like gothic cumbia, which we’ve done quite a bit of now,” band member Eric Bello said.
The Crystal Tears consists of three main members: Bello, founder of Oxnard-based record label YAY! Records; Naomi Fuentes, a songwriter and lead singer who joined the band in 2024; and Hekar Rivera, who, according to his Spotify profile, is a multi-genre composer and multi-instrumentalist.
On Sept. 26, 2025, the band released “Hielo Derretido” as a single due to the frequent ICE raids in Ventura County. Originally titled “Chinga la Migra,” the band went with “Hielo Derretido,” meaning melted ice, since Bello said he wanted a distinct and symbolic name.
“Initially, [‘Hielo Derretido’] comes from that anger and that frustration that our people are feeling in terms of ICE kind of just terrorizing our gente,” Bello said.
Bello said he decided to make “Hielo Derretido” a fast hyper-cumbia song to convey the weight of the ICE raids on the Oxnard community.
“It’s faster, and I decided to go in that direction because it was important to get that sense of urgency that the song is trying to communicate. What is happening to our people is an urgent matter,” Bello said.
The song also mentions VC Defensa, Oxnard Mystery Shop and 805 Immigrant Coalition, three community organizations that have played an active role in responding to and supporting those affected by ICE, according to Bello.
“[The organizations] were integral in terms of getting resources to help those in need, connecting the families with those who were looking for those who were taken by ICE,” Bello said. “It was very important to acknowledge them for their efforts and to get people to continue to support them.”
On Feb. 9, The Crystal Tears released an official music video for “Hielo Derretido” directed by Robert Alexander Auclair. The video documented ICE raids and anti-ICE protests occurring in Oxnard and Camarillo.
At the beginning of the video, a volunteer from VC Defensa is shown giving a speech during a demonstration at Del Sol Park in Oxnard, according to Bello.
“We are going to make noise all throughout Oxnard because these are our streets, and we deserve to live in peace. We deserve to walk in these streets free and with dignity, making music [and] living our joy,” said the VC Defensa volunteer in the video.
Yanely Fernandez, a listener of The Crystal Tears from Santa Paula, said one of her favorite songs is “Hielo Derretido.” She said The Crystal Tears caught her attention due to the band’s willingness to speak out about issues affecting her community.
“It was such a powerful intro,” Fernandez said. “ I believe what ICE has been doing is sickening, since many communities across the nation, including Oxnard, are facing discrimination, violence and separation of families.”
Bello said the protest at Del Sol Park was inspiring to witness, as it featured various speakers and a band that played through La Colonia, one of Oxnard’s oldest communities.
“This bus, with the band on it, drove through the streets of Oxnard, specifically in Colonia,” Bello said. “I thought it was beautiful because Colonia, historically, … [is] one of the older Hispanic, Chicano communities, so that was just very inspiring to be a part of.”
Fuentes said “Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo,” meaning only the people can save the people, which is a powerful phrase throughout the song.
“As much as division is trying to be created, … all we can do is fight together and protest together and make ourselves known,” Fuentes said.
Fernandez said when she supports an artist, she looks into what they stand for and whether they align with her values.
“They’re using their art as a way of speaking, [about] issues affecting their community, and I think it’s a powerful form of, like, resistance and advocacy. They’re doing what many local bands aren’t,” Fernandez said.
The band has songs in both English and Spanish, which allows the group to express themselves differently, Fuentes said.
“It’s just a testament to, like, our culture that we grew up in of, like, speaking Spanglish and, you know, [switching between] the two languages,” Fuentes said.
Bello said the band’s EP has two main aspects when it comes to representing Oxnard, including who the people are and the struggles they have been going through for “a very long time.”
“It’s an homage to the people of Oxnard and what they were kinda going through,” Bello said. “‘Oxnard Soul’ is like, just a shout out to the city and its different people.”
Fuentes said the music they release cannot be erased, making it “eternal.” For The Crystal Tears, producing songs is a way of documenting history, even if it’s on a “small scale. ” She said she hopes listeners feel represented.
“I just hope that our song can be used as … inspiration while these times are very hard for us. We continue to rally together and do everything that we can to help our people,” Fuentes said.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 2:06 p.m. to accurately reflect the three organizations mentioned in “Hielo Derretido.”
