Naomi Banks: Anything

Neo-soul and electronic collide beautifully in Naomi Banks’ new track “Anything.” Over the course of the three and a half minutes, her voice builds from a tender, jazzy croon to an immensely powerful howl—alongside a tune that combines minimal piano with a squelchy bass line and clashing drum machines. While all this genre-bending and blending might sound messy in writing, the result is a textured …

Toro y Moi: Freelance

From his forthcoming album Outer Peace (out 18 January on Carpark Records), Toro y Moi‘s “Freelance” is a g-funk-inflected tune that’s a bit surprising from the artist—considering his previous chillwave offerings. Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bear) delights listeners with this layered, synth-heavy bop. Funky and playful, the song was apparently written as a response to Bear’s return to the Bay Area after living in Portland. Ahead …

Beirut: Gallipoli

Truly an amalgamation of sound and style, “Gallipoli” announces Beirut’s return—and an album of the same name. With brass instruments that beg for a parade of celebratory footfall and percussion that creates nostalgia for something lost, the track (like much Beirut music) is bound to no time or place. Beirut’s Zach Condon wrote the entire song in one session, in rural Italy. It certainly stirs …