Curtis Harding: Hopeful

Singer-songwriter and producer Curtis Harding releases his first new music in three years with the soulful protest anthem “Hopeful.” With an overarching message of triumph and hope, the song is textured and full, thanks to rich percussion, wah-wah guitar, gospel-meets-psychedelic-soul back-up vocals, horns, strings and Harding’s tender but decisive voice. The Atlanta-based artists says in a statement, “Darkness find us all, hope allows us the …

Ìxtahuele feat. Kadhja Bonet: Manna

This rendition of “Manna,” performed by Swedish five-piece Ìxtahuele, is the first-ever recording of the song which was written by eden ahbez for the lost album Dharmaland. The atmospheric song begins with crackling fire and rattlesnake sound effects, before becoming a layered, lush and haunting slow burn.

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Alternative R&B, slow-burning soul, piano-led indie-pop and a late-night banger from this week

Mara TK: Te Kete Aronui From his debut solo album Bad Meditation, Mara TK’s “Te Kete Aronui” is a divinely slow-burning and soulful work. The Māori-Scottish singer (once the frontman for New Zealand outfit Electric Wire Hustle) wrote and produced the entire album and says, “Writing this album has been a form of therapy over the last few years trying to figure out what kind …