Stream: Last Night - Hoodlem

Last Night is a pop record positively brimming with lush sophisticated soul.

Created by Toronto-via-Melbourne R&B musician Hoodlem, Last Night is full of woozy rhythms, stabs of brass and glitchy IDM sounds. The track seemingly gets carried away with itself - a record about being in love with being in love, it sounds like those times where nothing can pull your mind out of a daydream.

The song is dedicated to those days when the spirit of last night lingers within you - your head and heart still right there with whoever you shared your night with. The possibilities in those moments can be overwhelming - the sense that seemingly anything is possible.

Describing the song Hoodlem says:

"Last Night is the afterward of a night with someone you’re into and you can’t stop thinking about that person, you replay it all over in your head and it drives you a little crazy. I think that 'not knowing where you stand with someone' feeling is kind of stressful but also fuels this half excited anxiety and that’s the feeling I was going through when I wrote this."

Check out Last Night below and look out for Hoodlem’s forthcoming Teenager EP, set for release this summer.

Video: Disco - Weirdo

I don’t know much about Weirdo, but this crazy infectious little ditty has me all excited on this Friday morning.

There is a crazy calypso buoyancy to Disco. It is a track that feels lost in feelings of affection for someone - a series of details specifically noticed by one person that could easily be missed by everyone else: “I like the perfume you’ve been wearing / probs ‘cause I purchased it / I like your eyes when they’re blinking / don’t go changing this”.

Also this video is utterly charming. I have no idea from which Disney cartoon the visuals come, but they really fit the song wonderfully. I hope it exists forever. I want to spend my time wearing a grass skirt in love on a cartoon desert island.

Stream: New Religion - Anna Wang

There’s an ambiance here on New Religion that feels stark like cracked earth baked in the midday sun… Wang’s vocals echo, almost like she is entirely alone in her environment. Perhaps this reflects the alienation and loneliness of the romantic obsession New Religion portrays. At times the vocals become twisted and distorted, like they are being submerged and buried down beneath the surface.

In contrast the production work here is simple and restrained - the foil to the emotional excess Wang delivers. Those modest electronic sounds simmer gently whilst Anna boils completely dry. New Religion’s vulnerability is a little intimidating, but all the more thrilling as a result.

Check out New Religion by Anna Wang below:

Stream: You Were Right - Metropoly

Channelling 80s pop and 90s R&B and 2000s electronic, Metropoly create the kind of spectral melodies that will be familiar to fans of Junior Boys.

Over a bowl of noodles in New York’s Chinatown, duo Julian and Ben realised their relative strengths could enable them to naturally compliment each other musically. Julian’s focus on songwriting and his classical training compliments Ben’s focus on DJing - the result is music that combines sophisticated musical progression and harmony with texture and sophisticated production techniques.

Released this coming Friday as a two-track single with No More, You Were Right is a piece of elegant and minimal electronic soul. Percussive clicks and kicks underpin Julian’s wistful vocals as the electronic melodies and bass lines create a beautifully human take on electronic music. Layered synthesisers and arpeggios form a dense yet restrained record.

Check out You Were Right below. Metropoly are currently in the studio collaborating with female vocalist Renélin on a follow-up single.

Stream: Holy Water - Tanners

Conjuring up breathless R&B, Holy Water is the work of NYC-based musician Tanners, real name Tanner Peterson.

Having originally intended to pursue audio engineering following her graduation, Peterson ended up being inspired to create her own music. Having engineered recordings for other musicians, she realised she had her own story she felt compelled to tell.

Drawing on her long held love of the beach, Holy Water aims to capture the feeling of being swallowed up and held at the mercy of the ocean. Describing the track, Tanners says “It’s a thank you song to the ocean for teaching me to embrace vulnerability”.

Check out Holy Water below: