ListenUp
Mac DeMarco’s $0.69 reward, new Superhumanoids, festival Sustain-Release comes back for Year Two and more in this week’s music
Jessy Lanza feat. DJ Spinn, Taso: You Never Show Your Love
We can already feel summer start to pick up its pace, but before it’s over in the blink of an eye, slow things down with Canadian producer and singer Jessy Lanza’s collaboration with Teklife’s DJ Spinn (who founded Teklife with the late DJ Rashad) & Taso. The video for “You Never Show Your Love” (a quiet track that leans to more unhurried R&B than fast moving footwork, but not to worry—a Teklife remix is included in the upcoming EP) fittingly shows Lanza in slow-motion, with two towering air dancers as her back-up crew, as she sings about her dejection.
The Black Madonna: Stay
Despite it raining the entire weekend, Sustain-Release had an incredible debut last September as it hosted underground techno and house sets at a summer camp in upstate New York. Having revealed Year Two’s full line-up this week, festival founders Aurora Halal and Zara Wladawsky have pulled together a drastically diverse list of artists—in hometown, age, gender and style—and attendees are certain to discover their next favorite act while dancing until the sun rises. Sadly, tickets are membership-only (and now officially sold out) but streaming a few tracks from one of the headliners, Chicago DJ and producer The Black Madonna, will help with the FOMO.
Mac DeMarco: Another One
Canadian singer/songwriter Mac DeMarco’s self-directed music video for “Another One” pays homage to one of the greats: Michael Jackson. DeMarco gets into fanboy mode by donning an MJ mask and T-shirt, trying out some dance moves and playing different instruments knee-deep in water. DeMarco fans can join in on the fun—he’s also posted a tutorial video on how to play “Another One” and is offering 69 cents (via PayPal) to one lucky winner who records their own stellar version of the track. (Try not to get rick-rolled when scrolling through the video replies.)
Jacob Banks: Grace
At just 23 years old, Jacob Banks sings with the spine-tingling, heartbreaking soul of somebody much older, hitting the lower registers like a veteran. “Grace” (from his upcoming EP) starts out minimally, builds with handclaps, and turns into a glitchy gospel track, then morphs again into a swirling soul tune. It’s a dazzling song that tugs hard on listeners’ heartstrings without dragging them down.
Superhumanoids: Anxious in Venice
Our much-loved LA dream pop group Superhumanoids are back, with something a little darker and more energetic than their last. Their latest single “Anxious in Venice” has Sarah Chernoff’s distinctive, affecting vocals piercing through the mix and juxtaposed against machine-like drums, vocal samples and rhythmic synth lines. It’s a perfect track for nighttime driving on the highway. Their new album Do You Feel OK? will be released 11 September 2015 on Innovative Leisure Records.
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.
