Listen Up
Sultry R&B, a mellow break-up ballad, optimistic pop and more new music
Syd: Missing Out
Syd’s first solo release in almost four years, “Missing Out” is a mellow break-up ballad, full of elongated synths, crisp percussion and somber but silky vocals. Apart from the occasional glockenspiel-esque chime, the four-minute tune feels melancholy for the most part, but the chorus provides a welcome tinge of bravado.
Steady Holiday: Sunny In The Making
“Sunny In The Making,” the second track from Take The Corners Slowly by Steady Holiday (aka Dre Babinski), brims with optimism. Soaring synths and an empowering chorus carry the song, while the Isaac Ravishankara-directed video depicts Babinski in a wig, twirling her arms for a TikTok until she decides to dance on her own, out of the audience’s view. It’s “about embracing uncertainty, relinquishing what can’t be controlled, appreciating moments as they happen. And if we don’t get that far, it’s also about celebrating the attempt to,” Babinski says of the release.
Joe Wong: Minor + Nuclear Rainbow
Filmed through the windows of its featured performers (a list that includes harpist Mary Lattimore, multi-instrumentalist Mary Timony, musician Steven Shane McDonald, singer-songwriter Anna Waronker and more), the collage-like video for Joe Wong’s double single “Minor / Nuclear Rainbow” weaves together tales of claustrophobia and apocalyptic dread. Pairing the gravity of Wong’s tantalizing track with the kaleidoscopic video makes for six unforgettable minutes.
Grimm Lynn: Thirsty
Atlanta-based singer, songwriter and rapper Grimm Lynn just released a sultry three-track EP called Body which follows 2020’s Southern Grooves. The first song on the record, “Thirsty” is a lush, slow-burning jam with soft percussion and velvety vocals.
Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel. Hero image courtesy of Joe Wong
