ListenUp
Kelela as an anime character, Nosaj Thing’s second collab with Chance the Rapper, a song about Berlin and more in this week’s look at music
Kelela: A Message
Rising singer/songwriter Kelela released a slow-burning but spectacular track from her upcoming EP Hallucinogen, called “A Message,” which was co-written with Venezuelan producer Arca (who also co-produced Björk’s Vulnicura). The music video depicts a darkly lit Kelela cutting off her dreadlocks before eventually turning into an anime character.
Cuushe: Tie
Tokyo’s Cuushe (aka Mayuko Hitotsuyanagi) continues delivering saccharine dream-pop with “Tie,” off her upcoming EP Night Lines—which is a collaborative release from indie labels Cascine (New York/London) and flau (Japan). The song progresses gently and sounds like an outer-space late-late-night jam mixed with a soundtrack to a children’s fantasy film.
Nosaj Thing: Cold Stares (ft. Chance The Rapper + The O’My’s)
Nosaj Thing and Chance the Rapper continue their collaboration run with “Cold Stares“—a quiet track that also features The O’My’s frontman Maceo Haymes. It’s a melancholy, down-tempo number with provocative lyrics that allude to being possessed by the devil.
Tobias Jesso Jr: Without You
Vancouver-based Tobias Jesso Jr’s breakup song “Without You” is the type of simple, infectious yet heartbreaking music many cynics assume has been made extinct by the likes of internet culture and EDM. Danielle Haim steps in as drummer while Ariel Rechtshaid—known for his work with Beyoncé, Vampire Weekend and Sky Ferreira—takes the reigns as producer.
Pixelord: Berlin
Each track on Russian producer Pixelord’s upcoming debut full-length Places is dedicated to a different city that has significant meaning to him. The gritty breakbeats and lush piano stabs in “Berlin” do a fantastic job of conjuring memories of our own nights dancing away in the romantic, mellow, melancholic city.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen. Hear the year so far via Cool Hunting Spotify.
