Art: Travis Cuellar
Ten more songs to help you with your week. Press play while you count the minutes in your cubicle, while you sit in traffic in your car, while you try your best to fall asleep and start all over again tomorrow. From The Philippines to San Diego to Australia to Italy, treat these ten tracks like a relaxing trip around the globe. Sunscreen is recommended.
Mellow Fellow - “Dancing”
Singer/songwriter Mellow Fellow is one of my favorite finds of the year, and his newest track, “Dancing”, does not disappoint. The guitar number is a dreamy endeavor with our vocalist fantasizing about someone who got away. The piece comes complete with a saxophone breakdown and a descriptor that reads, “mini-album soon.”
Clairo - “Flamin' Hot Cheetos”
It's only right that the first two tracks on this list are collaborators. Mellow Fellow and Clairo released “How Was Your Day?” earlier this year, and I've been hooked ever since. Clairo's newest track is a stripped down number, a lovesick track that includes uncertainty, overanalyzing, and a hashtag of “cheeto”.
Ted LK - “Gully”
Ted LK has four songs to his name on his SoundCloud and they all work inside the same style that doesn't really exist elsewhere. The Brooklyn-based musician layers field recordings with live sounds to create his newest, “Gully”, which is full of horns, birds, whistles, and whispers. A perfect addition for the end of your night.
TSUKI - “The End of Del Monte”
San Diego duo TSUKI have already done enough this year. They've released Severance Package, one of my favorite albums of 2017, and they've also released a nine minute mini tape of Astrud Gilberto samples. Now, showing no signs of slowing down, they've released the instrumental “The End of Del Monte”, which is about as relaxing as can be.
Sirens (Phoelix x Elton Aura) - “Valley Anthem”
Phoelix and Elton Aura have a great history together. After forming MDMC a couple of years back, the two artists went down separate creative paths, with Phoelix handling production on some major releases (Saba, Noname, Smino) while Elton Aura dropped a series of solo numbers, all of which were worthy of praise. Now the two are back with “Valley Anthem”, a bar-heavy summertime cruiser that works best inside your favorite whip.
Jon Bap - “Happy Fathers Day”
Jon Bap took the entirety of SoundCloud to church on Sunday with the release of his newest track, an ode to his father. It is a gospel number that clocks in at under two minutes as Jon Bap thanks his father and shows some love, one-upping the rest of America who bought cards at CVS instead. I can only assume he handled the artwork on his own as well.
Full Moon - “Pianeti”
I listen to Full Moon when I need to write, study, think, sleep. The duo has a series of live recordings on their account that range from four minutes to seven minutes. Their newest track “Pianeti” is ambient and dreamy, lost somewhere in outer space where worries and stresses no longer exist. Play this one on repeat until you find yourself at peace.
Omar Apollo - “ugotme”
Northern Indiana musician/vocalist Omar Apollo is back with yet another quality single, “ugotme”, which would fit nicely inside a late night bar. Full of guitar riffs and bluesy drums, the track is a piece on love as well as uncertainty. It's an open letter with an open heart, one I can't stop playing.
ok2222 - “So Real (Demo 2)”
Ambient producer and vocalist ok2222 is a new name in my book, and one that I can't stop listening to. The 15-year-old Australian artist releases about a song a week, and one of his tracks, “So Real”, hits the spot every time. More recently, he released “Higher to the Stars”, which is the next piece you need to enjoy while still inside the world of ok2222.
Djemba Djemba - “Positivity” (Harris Cole Remix)
This song is about as dreamy as the come. Harris Cole remixed a track by Djemba Djemba to create a sleepy, ambient number, one that builds and blossoms so organically. It's a fine follow-up to his album Pause, and continues to go down Cole's road of relaxed instrumentals. Tasty minimalism that properly closes out this ten song rundown. Sleep well tonight.
