ListenUp
Janet’s back, Swaai Boys dream of the tropics, same love anthems and more in this week’s look at music
Swaai Boys: REF_HS_001 (I Dream of Ganges)
NYC band Swaai Boys may call the concrete jungle home, but their spirits are in dunes far, far away. They’ve encapsulated this restlessness in their light rock, tropical-tinged song “REF_HS_001 (I Dream of Ganges),” with an accompanying music video featuring green screens strapped to their backs, and your calling card for escaping—if for a moment—your windowless dungeon of an apartment room. The Swaai Boys website is also worthy of a spontaneous internet expedition, filled with crystal ball visualizers, tomb videos, local surf reports and, of course, promises of free downloads and field recordings.
Janet Jackson: No Sleep
Janet Jackson’s newest single has been a long time coming—seven years since her last album Discipline, to be exact. Produced by her regular collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (the same brilliant minds behind her hits like “Miss You Much” to “Doesn’t Really Matter”), the bedroom-themed “No Sleep” shows off Jackson’s seductive R&B charms and builds up anticipation for her yet-to-be-titled album set to drop this fall.
The Internet feat. KAYTRANADA: Girl
We thought things couldn’t get any steamier than their recent track “Special Affair,” but the latest release from six-member R&B group The Internet (featuring former Odd Future members Syd Tha Kid and Matt Martians) “Girl” does exactly that. With production from Montreal producer Kaytranada, the track uses Syd’s breathy vocals to full advantage to be a tender, modern day love song. The Internet’s third album Ego Death releases 29 June 2015 and promises to be filled the brim with more chill, downtempo vibes.
Kiiara: Gold
20-year-old newcomer Kiiara pops out of thin air and makes her debut with a stripped-down electronic track that worms its way into your head, with an especially glitchy and catchy chorus. Her vocals in “Gold” signal a link to Scandinavian electro-pop; but in fact, Kiiara actually hails from Illinois, where she works as a hardware store cashier by day.
Crystal Waters: 100% Pure Love
As a classic throwback—and also a fitting track for anybody celebrating NYC Pride Week—we jammed to “100% Pure Love” in the CH office. The 1994 track by house singer Crystal Waters gained plenty of mainstream popularity, proving that positive vibes and a little (or a lot) of love is what we all need.
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.
