Listen Up
From eerie indie to piano-led ballads and soulful hip-hop, our favorite songs from the week
Kay Young: White Teeth
From pertinent, powerful lyrics to layered sonic structure, London-based recording artist Kay Young’s soulful new single “White Teeth” impresses on multiple levels. “White Teeth is a bittersweet song,” Young says in a statement about the track, which she wrote, produced and recorded herself. “I wanted the listener to see the world through the eyes of an innocent child who is yet to face adversity simply for the color of their skin.”
Jesse Marchant: Dirty Snow (Live/Solo)
From Antelope Running, singer-songwriter Jesse Marchant’s ruminative fifth album (out 25 June), the single “Dirty Snow” has been released as an intimate live music video, wherein the artist performs alone at the piano. For Marchant, formerly known as JBM, the album is a sprawling set of recollections—where every brief narrative is underscored by emotion. Marchant’s illuminative songwriting and vocals transport listeners into the distinct worlds of each track.
Kandle: When It Hurts
Vancouver-based recording artist Kandle (aka Kandle Osborne) mesmerizes with “When It Hurts,” an eerie, exquisite single and a dreamlike music video that nod to the work of David Lynch. “Every time I write a song I see images, colours and narratives play out in my head,” Osborne says in a statement. “Having the ability to express my music visually is paramount for me.” Brandon William Fletcher directed the video, which “miraculously brings each nuanced lyric and broad spectrum narrative to life—the perfect marriage of mood and melody,” Osborne adds. The enrapturing track is the fifth to be released from Osborne’s latest full-length album, Set The Fire.
Float Fall: Little Words
From the debut full-length album of Brussels-based duo Float Fall (aka Rozanne Descheemaeker and Ruben Lefever), “Little Words” is a warm daydream of a single with moody synths and melodic harmonies—all of which converge upon a captivating chorus. Their highly anticipated album will release this September.
Devendra Banhart + Noah Georgeson: In A Cistern + Into Clouds
From Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson’s collaborative ambient album, Refuge (out 13 August), the two tracks “In A Cistern” and “Into Clouds” come together in a nearly nine-minute-long video directed by Nicky Giraffe and Julianna Giraffe. The visuals offer “a meditative look at the life’s journey of two snails, from conception to old age, as narrated by a choir of natural imagery and other bugs,” according to the filmmakers. Prior to this stunning collaboration, Banhart and Georgeson have worked together for nearly 20 years, with the latter producing some of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s beloved albums.
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 courtesy of Nicky Giraffe and Julianna Giraffe
