LA Priest: Beginning

LA Priest (aka Sam Eastgate, Samuel Dust, and half of Soft Hair—along with Connan Mockasin) returns with “Beginning,” the second single from GENE—the artist’s second LP, named for the drum machine Eastgate built himself.  The delightfully buoyant, off-kilter tune comes accompanied by a video directed by LA Priest and Joseph Bird Jr, in which the artist wanders the wilderness of North Wales (dressed in a …

Chris Funk: Knifey Vellocet

Multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk—best known for his work with The Decemberists—released his solo album The Painted Porch in late April, from which all proceeds are being donated to the COVID-19 Oregon Musicians’ Relief Fund. (It’s also available to pre-order on vinyl, limited to 250 records.) From that album, the instrumental “Knifey Vellocet” merges twangy guitar with strings and synths for an atmospheric tune that could be …

Ian Isiah: N.U.T.S

Brooklyn-based Ian Isiah’s sultry, silken vocals glide atop the funky Chromeo-produced “N.U.T.S”—a song from the upcoming AUNTIE album. While the disco-inflected beat by Chromeo (aka David “Dave 1” Macklovitch and Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel) diverges from Isiah’s spacey, sexy R&B (like on his Shugga Sextape Vol. 1), the sublime, effortless blend of styles satisfies. The song features recordings of shouted homophobic slurs, but the video teaser …