MISZCZYK feat. Laetitia Sadier: In The Dark
Ontario-based producer MISZCZYK (aka Nyles Miszcyzk) releases “In The Dark,” a spellbinding just-over-two-minute-long single featuring vocals from Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier. The mystifying track will appear on Miszcyzk’s forthcoming debut album, Thyrsis of Etna, out 15 July. Artist Jesse Yules created the appropriately magical music video, wherein a woman builds a world outside her window.
Remi Wolf: Michael
A sonically laidback but visually vibrant single, Remi Wolf’s “Michael” sees the California-born psych-pop singer and songwriter slowing things down from her maximalist debut album, Juno. The indie-leaning single pairs subdued production with vulnerable, narrative lyrics about “a manic and obsessed woman who craves the high she gets from Michael’s attention and is willing to delve deep into a masochistic toxic pit to get it,” says the artist. The track, which is the lead single from the deluxe edition of Juno out on 3 June, accompanies a hyper-saturated Haley Appell-directed music video.
A.M. Boys: Give Me Time
A.M. Boys—a Brooklyn duo composed of songwriter and electronic musician John Blonde and record producer, engineer and musician Chris Moore—released the cerebral and vibe-soaked third single from their forthcoming debut album, Distance Decay (out June 3). Dubbed “Give Me Time,” the spacious track’s origins percolated up out of a jam session. It “started as a live improv during an after-party at our recording studio, Glowmatic Sound,” Blonde tells COOL HUNTING. “Chris’ beat got everyone moving. I had lyrics in a journal and they fit well into the groove right away. I think it’s a song about resilience and patience. When we recorded the album version, I added the final lyrics. I had recently read a short story by Truman Capote that inspired a line in the second verse. Specifically to A.M. Boys: as long as we stay curious we have everything.”
Obongjayar feat. Nubya Garcia: Wrong For It
Calabar, Nigeria-born, London-based artist Obongjayar has just released his debut album, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, and from it comes “Wrong For It” featuring jazz musician Nubya Garcia. The track incorporates synth-pop, hip-hop, jazz, electronic and West African influences, creating a genre-defying amalgam. His layered vocals, whistles, horns, synths and soft percussion combine to create a laidback but vibrant energy.
néomí: not good enough
From Surinamese-Dutch singer-songwriter néomí (aka Neomi Speelman) comes “not good enough,” the fourth single from the folk-pop artist’s forthcoming debut EP, before (out 24 June). The thoughtfully empowering track pairs warm vocals with introspective lyrics. Altogether, it’s a moving composition that stokes the flames of anticipation surrounding the EP.
Julie Odell: Caterpillar
Beginning as an exquisitely textured folk track, “Caterpillar” from New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Julie Odell, undergoes metamorphic tonal and tempo changes. Odell’s vocals infuse a distinct beauty into the single, which is her first release since signing to Frenchkiss Records. “‘Caterpillar’ is about the transformative courage it takes to step into the unknown,” Odell says. “It’s about life’s inevitable change and the change that we choose. It’s all a free-fall of hoping and trusting that there will be something to grab onto before you land on your face. Navigating the emotional path of worry, doubt, fear, excitement, discovery, joy, peace and all the adrenaline in between.”
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 MISZCZYK