Sylvan Esso: Ferris Wheel

With “Ferris Wheel,” North Carolina synth act Sylvan Esso (aka Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn) cement their return following last week’s minute-and-a-half teaser “What If.” The familiar chirps and compelling vocals punctuate and populate the catchy release. Directed by Supercollider and shot at an abandoned amusement park, the official music video acts an electric current of carnival shapes, colors and movements—all with a hazy veil. …

SAULT: Wildfires

From the mysterious funk/soul collective SAULT, the hypnotic “Wildfires” tells a tale of courage and perseverance in the face of police brutality. The song appears on Untitled (Black Is), a glorious and timely record that traces Blackness from rebellion to resilience, radical joy and beyond. The trio—which internet sleuths believe is most likely Dean “Inflo” Wynton Josiah, Cleo Sol and Melisa Young (aka Kid Sister)—released …

Aladean Kheroufi: Take a Step

The first release from Canadian recording artist Aladean Kheroufi’s forthcoming EP, Beauty Beyond Grief (out 7 August), “Take a Step” lends a fresh layer of soul to the classic penned by Lou Burgio in 1969 (and made popular by Arthur Conley). The multi-instrumentalist/vocalist brings a magnetic dab of distance and distortion to the track which, when coupled with a lovably eerie Mt. Pleasant Collective-directed music video, lead …