Listen Up
Remixes, collaborations, cover versions and more new tunes from the week
Darius feat. Kadhja Bonet: NOTHING TO ME
Parisian producer Darius teams up with spellbinding musician and vocalist Kadhja Bonet for “NOTHING TO ME,” a hypnotic electro-soul ballad that transcends. From the funky bass-line to Bonet’s sultry vocals, the mellow tune enchants listeners. “I have been in awe of Kadhja Bonet’s project since her first albums The Visitor and Childqueen,” Darius says. “I’m really proud to have finally been able to create something with an artist I admire.”
Toro y Moi: Postman
Ahead of his upcoming seventh studio album, Mahal (out 29 April), Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bear) released two singles, “Postman” and “Magazine,” with the former being the funkier, more playful of the two. Paired with a groovy bass-line, occasional yelps and a music video (directed by kid. studio) that sees Bear and his friends cruising around San Francisco in a Filipino Jeepney, the playfully electric “Postman” delights.
Japanese Breakfast: Nobody Sees Me Like You Do (Yoko Ono Cover)
Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard serves as executive producer on the forthcoming tribute album Ocean Child which celebrates the songs of iconic artist and activist Yoko Ono through 14 inspired cover versions. Among the extensive talent—which ranges from David Byrne and Yo La Tengo to Sharon Van Etten, Jay Som, Stephin Merritt and Amber Coffman—Japanese Breakfast contributes an endearing iteration of the classic “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do.” A portion of the proceeds from the album will be donated to WhyHunger, a non-profit (which Ono has long supported) that strives to end hunger and poverty in the US and across the world.
Vicky Farewell: Are We OK?
To announce her debut album, Sweet Company (slated for 8 April), singer-songwriter, producer, arranger and engineer Vicky Farewell releases “Are We OK?” The song, combines R&B with pop, jazz, soul and even psych—resulting in a sparkly but sincere tune, carried by her sweet, featherweight vocals. “‘Are We OK?’ was the first song I ever wrote and produced to completion on my own,” she says. “Honestly, I never considered myself much of a singer until I made this song. It really paved a way for the rest of the record.”
Lou Canon: Aurelie (Lido Pimienta Remix)
From Canadian recording artist Lou Canon’s forthcoming remix album, Reimagine The Body (out 26 January), the track “Aurelie” finds Colombian Canadian musician, singer-songwriter and interdisciplinary artist Lido Pimienta transforming the already heightened experimental track from Canon’s 2020 full-length release, Audomatic Body. “I was desperate to hear where this body of work could go in the hands of an eclectic group of artists,” Canon tells us. “Why not aim high,” she adds of the origin of the collaboration with Pimienta. “Lido’s voice is the ultimate authority. She’s bold, she’s brave, she’s bad ass in all the right ways. Lido is an artist in every sense of the word. I was shocked when she said yes. And I love her even more for choosing the one song on the album that seemed the least obvious to reimagine.” Pimienta’s “Aurelie” remix debuts with a voyeuristic, absorbing official music video—one of six for the album done in partnership with art collective Danuta.
Mark Guiliana: Song for Investigating Consciousness
From Grammy-nominated drummer and composer Mark Guiliana’s latest full-length record, Music For Doing (released 28 January), the experimental track “Song for Investigating Consciousness” incorporates the unexpected as it expands and contracts across its more-than-five-minute runtime. For the single, Guiliana is joined by David Binney on sax and Daphne Chen on violin; each lends additional theatrical dimension.
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 Toro y Moi
