Thundercat, Steve Lacy + Steve Arrington: Black Qualls

By Thundercat (aka Stephen Lee Bruner), Steve Lacy (of The Internet) and the legendary Steve Arrington, “Black Qualls,” is smothered in funk. With familiar but contrasting vocals from Bruner and Arrington atop the rich, layered track, this song warrants repeat listens. The lyrics explore the mindset of many young black Americans at the moment, as Bruner explains, “What it feels like to be in this …

DRAMA: Years

Aptly named duo DRAMA (aka producer Na’el Shehade and singer Via Rosa) just released the first song from their debut album, Dance Without Me. Starting off as a melancholy piano-led ballad, the song builds with a muffled drum break reminiscent of ’90s trip-hop, before new clarity appears. All the while, Rosa’s supple vocals elegantly command the song. The Chicago-based duo has been releasing music for …

Real Estate (feat. Amelia Meath): Paper Cup

From Real Estate’s forthcoming album, The Main Thing (out 28 February), “Paper Cup” features the band’s frontman Martin Courtney singing with Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath. The song, which has tinges of airy island rock, details Courtney’s bouts with career-based anxiety. “Paper Cup is a song about getting older and realizing that this thing that I fell into doing over 10 years ago—being a musician, writing songs, …