We’ve got 5 newly-released tunes that will hopefully help you get through your Tuesday. Plug in your headphones, turn up the volume, and welcome the cooler weather with the musical stylings of De La Soul, SG Lewis, Blind Pilot, & more.
De La Soul & Usher – Greyhounds
De La Soul, one of the most eclectic and influential acts in the history of hip-hop, have proven they’re far from dead. They broke their decade long hiatus with the release of a single – “Pain” featuring Snoop Dogg – from their forthcoming LP on June 1st. Since then, they’ve graced fans with the continual release of stellar singles that give us a taste of what their upcoming album, and the Anonymous Nobody…, will be all about. The tracks are starkly different from what we’d expect from DLS. They’ve seemingly chosen to steer away from their sample-heavy and synth-driven traditional sound, and have instead focused on incorporating powerful vocalists and developing their orchestral production. “Greyhounds” features Usher‘s velvety-smooth vocals, which deliver a haunting, slow-paced hook. It depicts the story of NYC newcomers that are unaware of how much the city will change them throughout their stay. Can anyone relate?
AlunaGeorge & KAYTRANADA – Kaleidoscope Love (KAYTRANADA Edition)
Mark our words: KAYTRANADA will be headlining a multitude of festivals within the next year or so. This man has taken the nation by storm, captivating listeners with his hypnotic, disco-infused production style. His debut album, 99.9%, is arguably one of the best albums that have come out in 2016. The EP definitely showcases the Canadian-Haitian beat-master’s versatility as a producer. On one end you have his popular collaboration with Anderson .Paak, “GLOWED UP”, an infusion of sultry hip-hop beats and on the other, you have “LITE SPOTS”, a contemporary soul banger packed with samba-inspired elements. Two totally different sounds, but both incredibly well-produced tracks. Although this tune isn’t included in his EP, it mirrors the bouncy bass-line featured in “LITE SPOTS” and reminds us why he’s been named artist to watch on numerous occasions.
Blind Pilot – Packed Powder
This one’s a little more on the folky end of the spectrum. At the beginning of this month BP released their third studio album, And Then Like Lions, after holding back on coming out with new material for 5 years. This tune starts off with Nebeker’s gentle voice singing over a simple strumming pattern. It progresses to build up into a catharsis of beautifully layered harmonies, horn arrangements, and rhythmic percussion elements. The album itself has an incredibly touching backstory: Israel Nebeker, the band’s frontman, lost his father and decided to translate his loss into artistic inspiration. Throughout the course of three years he worked tirelessly to deliver an album that also doubled as a homage to his late father.
SG Lewis – Meant to Be
Another emerging artist that you should keep on your radar is 21 year old London-native, SG Lewis. He launched himself into the public sphere with his stellar 2015 collaboration with JP Cooper that practically screamed ‘good vibes’, “Shivers”. After releasing a full EP and a series of spine-tingling singles, he’s proven to be the furthest thing from a one-trick pony. This tune has a different sound in comparison to his previous tracks, all of which encompass a dream-pop, minimalistic feel. It features a soulful guitar twinge that creates a disco/funk feel, which is complemented by Lewis’s blissful vocals. Fun fact: this is actually the first release in which he decided to feature himself as the singer. He co-wrote the track with Chad from The Neptunes and Howard from Disclosure so it’s no surprise that the song turned out as great as it did!
No Mana – Someone to Write About
We’re going to cheat a little bit with this one because No Mana is an artist that truly deserves honorable mention. Whilst his age is unknown, we’re almost certain that he’s under 20 and has already secured a spot on deadmau5‘s prolific label, Mau5trap. Within the span of a year, he has already played Electric Daisy Carnival and opened for the Mau5 himself at his recent sold-out Flash Factory performance. We’ve been keeping an eye on him since his induction into the trap and can honestly say that it’s been incredible to see how he’s developed his sound to achieve pristine perfection. His dark, progressive sound has evolved into one that can be identified as his own, rather than just “some dude’s on deadmau5‘s label”. This is his recent release and although it’s lengthy, it is worth listening to every second. If you dig it, treat yourself to some of his other gems including this one, this one, this one, and ESPECIALLY this one.
See ya next week, tune lovers!
