Listen Up
Languid love songs, late-night tunes, upbeat pop and more in our musical round-up
Khazali: Dance On The Rain
London-based artist Khazali’s track “Dance On The Rain” is made for late-night listening—thanks to effortlessly silky vocals, a funky bass line and an overall hazy vibe. The song will appear on his just-announced EP, The Rush. He tells The Line Of Best Fit, “‘Dance On The Rain’ is a song I wrote about someone catching onto the fact that the person they love isn’t being truthful with them, but is so deeply in love that they can’t leave. Everyone’s felt it— it’s the whole, unrelenting feeling in the chest—you almost want to escape it, zone out. When I sing about dancing on the rain, it’s the best way I could describe those soft, blissful, and delicate moments where you can completely forget about something that’s worrying you.”
Widowspeak: The Jacket
The title track from the forthcoming sixth studio album by Brooklyn indie rockers Widowspeak, “The Jacket” debuts with a pensive, metaphoric music video. In a statement, the band explains “‘The Jacket’ is about things we choose, dress up in and adopt as symbols of who we are. Things that become objects loaded with meaning until we eventually lose or discard them, grow out of them.” As with previous glimpses of the album, which will release on 11 March, band members Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas work together to bring their sonic signatures to life in compelling new ways.
Moonchild: I’ll Be Here
From LA-based trio Moonchild’s new album Starfruit, “I’ll Be Here” is a bubbly but languid love song, carried by Amber Navran’s jazzy vocals. Navran (who is also a musician, producer and songwriter) along with Max Bryk and Andris Mattson (who both play various instruments and contribute to programming and production) weave together elements of soul, R&B, jazz and more for the mellow track.
Foxes
Five years since her last album, singer-songwriter Foxes (aka Louisa Rose Allen) released her third LP, The Kick, last week and from it comes “Growing on Me,” a synth-drenched, upbeat bop. The song, the artist says, is “about becoming more connected and comfortable with yourself—a journey of discovering yourself and embracing both the dark and the light.”
Kiana V feat. Jesse Barrera: Heartbeat On Me
LA-based Filipino singer Kiana V returns with “Heartbeat On Me,” her first new music since last year’s gorgeous EP, Dazed. This new song—featuring fellow Filipino artist Jesse Barrera—leans a little closer to pop than her previous releases, but maintains touches of neo-soul and ’90s R&B, making for a sunny, airy track.
Lunar Noon
From musician Lunar Noon’s self-released debut album, Symbolic Creature, (out today), comes “The Rain,” an eclectic mosaic of a song. The album itself is a kaleidoscope of genres, with jazzy vocals, spacey electronic elements, Celtic harps and beyond. The artist—who wrote, arranged and produced all the tracks—says, “Circling a theme of superstition and good luck charms, the songs are about everything from ancient trees to family cake recipes to the new Californian fire season.”
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 Widowspeak
