Boadi – Walk
If you’re a fan of classic soul artists like Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye then the South London based musician Boadi’s timeless soul sound mixed with a subtle jazz flair is going to be right up your street. There’s only one word that can describe this track and that is smooth, Boadi’s vocal is out of this world with it having this timeless quality to it that makes all the worries of the world melt off my body as he oozes pure passion through his music that makes each note feel like an experience. It’s essentially Motown being brought into the modern era in the best way possible and is a song I know I’m going to be playing on repeat for weeks on end.
BAYLI – Sushi for Breakfast
Honestly BAYLI can have Sushi for Breakfast all she wants, I just want to savour every single melodies and luscious vocal riff that she delivers in this short but sweet single. For starters the production is absolutely outstanding with hazy beats amplifying the slick quality of her vocal whilst simultaneously making you pay more attention to her expressive lyrical prowess that is on a whole new level. Being just over two minutes long, this is track you’ll listen to and soon be craving for more, so definitely check out her other single Boys Lie, you won’t be disappointed.
Landon Conrath – July
As I began listening to Landon Conrath’s latest track July I started getting nostalgic flashbacks to my adolescence with the vibrant production, highflying chorus and compelling lyricisms all managing to capture the wonder and joy of youth. Could easily see this being in a modern coming of age movie soundtrack with him having this classic rock feel that is reminiscent of U2 during their glory days mixed with some modern flair that wouldn’t feel too out of place in a The 1975 album. It is quite a mesmerising number that I am really falling in love with and know I’m going to playing on long car rides this summer.
Bawo – Smilk
Say what you want about London but the underground music scene here is utterly phenomenal with countless artists coming out with brilliant pieces of music that consistently revitalise my passion for this industry. Bawo is one of these artists with his brand of lo-fi hip hop with his latest single Smilk having an old school video game feel in the production with this lyrics being quick witted and entertaining here as well as his flow adding an extra bit of flair to the piece that gets me hooked in an instant. It’s short, sweet, doesn’t milk it by going overboard and is a cracking listen.
Baby Bari – Lucy
90’s R&B for me will always be defined as the golden era for the genre with that generation of musician’s sound being some of the best to ever be released within the genre, which is why I love it when modern artists take that sound and expand upon it as Baby Bari has with Lucy. Sensual guitar melodies are ladened throughout the piece with his subtle steamy vocals only amplifying that sensual feeling further until the end where we’re greeted by a compelling electric guitar solo that is just the cherry on top of this whole track. Highly recommend checking out his whole EP Mabel which is quite the stunning project with an R&B feel but also has a subtle alternative rock influence that is utterly spellbinding.
Loviet – When It’s Over
Pop is one of the hardest genres to breakout in right now with hundreds upon thousands of artists releasing new material everyday within the genre but Loviet has managed to make it look easy with her addictive pop tracks. When It’s Over is just brilliant pop music done right with an anthemic chorus that was made for singing in your bedroom into a hairbrush, a hook that’ll require an excavation team to get out of your head and a scintillating production that just screams summer anthem. It’s pop music at its best and something we highly recommend diving head first into.
Venture Klan – Win(d)
I love how different hip hop scenes have both these big and subtle differences between them, get rid of the accents and I’d easily be able tell the difference between the New York and London hip hop scenes because of the unique qualities they both have. The Harlem based hip hop duo Venture Klan are everything that is great from the New York scene with their incredible flow, a thumping production and gritty lyricisms but fuse it with their own anime influences that sets their sound apart from anyone else out there. They capture the spirit of their home but bring out something different that has me hooked on their sound.
Nat Slater – Every Weekend
If you’re looking for your next going out anthem that will get you hyped up for the fun and joy you’ll undoubtably experience then damn to we have the track for you. It’s a pop track with a strong UK garage influence with the buoyant beats, rhythmic structure and undeniably addictive production mixed with a subtle R&B dynamic that will get you bobbing your head along and foot tapping to the melody in no time at all. Fuse that with the lyrics about some of the scumming behaviour men do on nights out as she explains, “It’s about when you’re out with your friends and there’s a guy trying to chat you up, but you just know he’s trying the same pick-up lines on you as he has that girl over there and that girl over there. He does it to everyone, every week and you can just clock it,” and you’ve got a ready made going out classic.
Birdtunes – Everything
Sometimes you don’t want a high energy track, you just want a calming ambient single that will send all your worries away and make you feel completely at ease in the world, which considering the modern climate is something we’re all in need of from time to time. Birdtunes manages to do that with ease with his electronica flourishes, ambient atmosphere and mind calming melodies that managed to send shivers across my body in mere seconds. This is one where you just need to close your eyes, lie down and let the music take you somewhere entirely new, gorgeous stuff.