tbt: Black Light Dinner Party - Sons and Lovers

Here's to Black Light Dinner Party's electronic indie greatness. The entire Sons and Lovers EP was golden, like the band, but this project-titled track is unforgettable. Muddied vocals over quirky electro-synths are what BDLP lives for, and this is a fabulous introduction. The catchy instrumentals make me want to listen to the group for days on end - just a wonderful feeling. Enjoy the throwback below and get some spring in your step.

Grizzly Bear - Three Rings

Grizzly Bear's dropped a single and it's mesmerising. Heavy strumming defines this track, and the drawn out vocals follow, as "Three Rings" builds up to a lover's plea. "Don't you know that I can make it better/don't you ever leave me" highlight the hook, bringing a five minute song to its climax in epic fashion. After a five year hiatus, the band brings forth its first single off a yet-to-be titled fifth album. It sounds as if the time they've taken working on the upcoming album will be quite worth the wait. Check out the trippy video for "Three Rings" below.

tbt: Belly - Came From Nothing

Belly's shown us that he's got bars for days, but it took me a while to pause and believe it. I came around this week and bumped his last three projects and all I can say is I've been awakened. Put on Up For Days, and immediately, you're like "dude can rap!". "Came From Nothing" opens the mixtape and brings clever rhyme schemes over a slowed down beat that mimics a gangster's walk. And no, I don't need to see Belly's G certification; I'll just take the music. He takes to the cold raps and dark sound really well, bringing no question as to why he was signed by The Weeknd and XO. TBT to Belly's emergence into the rap game, and may his bars never fall of and he bring us endless raps. Amen.






The video's hella French Montana-esque, and I fucks with it.

A.CHAL - Matrix

Midweek vibes for ya.

A.CHAL’s increasingly put his name on people’s radars over the past couple of years. And with a single studio album release, it feels like the upcoming Peruvian artist has been around us for a while, despite the questions we may have. 2016’s Welcome to GAZI gave us insight into Alejandro’s world of introspection - namely his reflections on greed and addiction, and their sameness; the music feels like a journey. His thoughts return on “Matrix”, the latest single from his upcoming project, On Gaz. Yeah, “red and blue pill, black shades” are obvious allusions to the well-known movie, but one can only speculate as to what shape that takes in his personal life - he raps about lying low (shades are a disguise of choice), but is he talking getting faded while swerving those salty vibes? The “Matrix” does bump and take you away though, feeling like an up and down drugged out experience - trancy. On Gaz is set to drop on June 2nd, and a year removed from Welcome to GAZI, I’m hoping for more views (no Drake) into the mysterious life of Alejandro Chal. Cosigns from A$AP Rocky, OVO Radio, and Zane Lowe were only the beginning for A.CHAL, so I’m anxiously waiting for what goodness he brings to the table with his release. Get a jump start with “Matrix” below.

tbt: Big Monk - Givenchy

It’s Tuesday, so I’m gonna throw it back for a second. Big Monk dropped “Givenchy” almost two years ago, and it’s made a recent plunge into my listening cycle. Everyone loves the classic “life’s a bitch and then you die” - Monk samples Nas and AZ well on this track, adding a jazzy, blues feel to the classic. The bars come through as well, and the storytelling of life experiences and dreams is more than fitting as it relates to the sample. If this was his debut single, you (and I) would be a fool not to explore the music he’s put out since then. Plus, he puts together the beats, along with writing the raps, himself. Stream “Givenchy” below for your pleasure.

tbt: Waxahatchee - Be Good

I listened to this walking in the rain last week, found myself singing aloud and thought “every young person who’s experienced the trouble of labeling love needs to hear this”. Call “Be Good” a love song, as much of Waxahatchee’s work can be said to be, with a twist: being rooted in the reality of the muddiness of the dating world. “You don’t wanna be my boyfriend/And that’s probably for the best/Because that gets messy” - they’re cutting lyrics that reflect on the complications rather than the joy of love. It seems as if much of Katie Crutchfield’s music comes out of loneliness, and for us that brings a world of highly relatable, unfiltered lyrics. Despite the cynicism, “Be Good” serves as the climax of Waxahatchee’s 2012 release, American Weekend, with an upbeat, sunny vibe contrary to its lyrical composition. If you’re feeling summer already (and not quite feeling love), kick back and enjoy this gem from an incredible artist.






And a chilling tune below for anyone feeling the blues.




Be sure to check out Waxahatchee's latest single, "Silver", while you're at it!

Spark Master Tape - Schikken (Featuring Flmmboiint Frdii)

If this is your first experience with Spark Master Tape, don’t worry - it’s mine too. I’ve been away from the electronic music game for a while (I associate it, especially the trap sub-genre, with many of the things I don’t do at the moment), and I’m real glad to have stumbled across something that brings my curiosity back. My first surprise was finding he does something almost unheard of in music: rapping over his own chopped and screwed, trap beats. Trap music loves hip-hop, often taking to the genre through samples, so it’s pretty lit to hear him bring some original raps to these amazing bass-filled beats. I hear “trap music” and immediately think party. But that’s not the case with SMT’s latest EP, The Lost Grapes, a dark, drugged out, slowed down creation tame enough to compliment the Shlomo in your playlists. As one of the funkier tracks on the tape, “Schikken” takes on a dancefloor beat and brings more fun to the table with more beat play than the remaining songs on that release. Flmmboiint Frdii initiates most of that funk feel with strong verses to compliment fire production by Paper Platoon. Forget figuring out what “schikken” means, and let this track take your eardrums on a ride.

Kygo - First Time (Featuring Ellie Goulding)

Ms. Goulding’s been the artist that producers love to work with for her dreamy voice. She and Kygo team up here on a song to add to the summer soundtrack. Before listening, there was no doubt in my mind that Ellie Goulding’s vocals would pair perfectly with the ‘tropical’ vibes Kygo creates in his music - calming down the world of house music with each track. When people ask me about electronic music, Kygo is my go-to for great reason. His music’s never too up-tempo and he just has a knack for striking a balance between energetic and chill vibes. “First Time” is just another example of Kygo’s mastery, this time including Ellie doing her thing over beachy sounds, singing about teenage nostalgia, compounding a beautiful feeling Kygo’s production often creates on its own. It’s perfect for a car, as kygo and nostalgia so often are, with the added bonus of having a huge place at music festivals across the world. I’m sure all the kids are gonna be dancing to this, in joy, bracing crowded sets. Be happy, be fun, and enjoy.