Listen Up

Silky, sultry, soulful and psych-inflected new songs from the week

Ruthven: Don’t Keep It To Yourself Released on Jai and AK Paul’s label-meets-collective Paul Institute, Ruthven’s hypnotic “Don’t Keep It To Yourself” is a spacious, slinky and sultry track about pillow talk and secrets—”bedroom feels,” the UK-based singer-songwriter and musician says. Blending elements of future funk, ’80s R&B and more, Ruthven (aka Sean Nelson) effortlessly transitions between delicate falsetto and big, soulful pop vocals. MICHELLE: …

MICHELLE: MESS U MADE

New York collective MICHELLE is a predominately queer and POC sextet that succeeds in blending their various experiences and styles into one cohesive, R&B-tinged whole. Their latest release, “MESS U MADE,” does so through an indie-inspired jam that expertly harmonizes and interweaves vocals from each of the group’s four leading singers: Sofia D’Angelo, Emma Lee, Layla Ku and Jamee Lockard. Accompanying the bop, a music …