Listen Up
Two youthful debuts, off-kilter rap, a dreamy collaboration and more new music from the week
Khruangbin + Leon Bridges: B-Side
Another dreamy collaboration between Khruangbin and Leon Bridges was announced today. Following 2020’s Texas Sun EP, the trio (Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald Ray “DJ” Johnson Jr) and soul singer will release Texas Moon on 18 February, and from it share “B-Side.” While inspired by their shared home state, the song melds genres from far and wide—incorporating elements of soul, psychedelia and rock via fuzzy guitar, congas, bongos, whispered back-up vocals and more. “It’s like a short story,” Lee says of the album. “And it leaves room to continue having these stories together. It’s not Khruangbin, it’s not Leon, it’s this world we created together.”
Flowerovlove: Saturday Yawning
An ode to lazy mornings, “Saturday Yawning” by Flowerovlove (aka 16-year-old musician Joyce Cisse) aptly sounds unhurried and mellow. With elements of melodic bedroom-pop and R&B, the synth-inflected track—with gentle percussion and sweet vocals—was produced in collaboration with Issac Levine and Wilfred Cisse. The UK-based artist says, “‘Saturday Yawning’ is about the feeling on a Friday after school, knowing you can go to sleep whenever you want because there’s no school tomorrow and falling in love with the idea of that Saturday morning feeling, rolling around in your bed. The song radiates cosiness, comfort, and divinity.”
Julianna Joy: Teenage Boys
Ebullient 19-year-old singer-songwriter Julianna Joy debuts “Teenage Boys,” an angsty anthem that addresses the complexities of dating today. Co-written by Grammy-nominated producer Teddy Geiger, the track pairs bold pop sensibilities with a satirical wink. It’s playful from start to finish, though thoughtful layers unfurl over the more-than-five-minute runtime.
Tierra Whack: Millions
Tierra Whack just released a three-track EP entitled Rap? and her familiar, yet simultaneously unpredictable, off-kilter style saturates the short but sweet release. The last song on the EP, “Millions,” has an anthemic energy—thanks to a piano-led beat and uplifting background vocals—with the Philadelphia-based artist’s choppy rhymes carrying the tune over its three minutes.
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 image courtesy of Khruangbin and Leon Bridges
