The Predatory Wasp
Recorded at 5dB Studios in London, anaiis’s new albbum Devotion & The Black Divine explores uncertainty, acceptance, and the experience of new motherhood. The album reflects anaiis’s growing sense of grace and creative freedom, capturing human emotion in its raw, shifting form. I was a big fan of her last album – 2021’s This Is No Longer A Dream – and on the first few listens it seems as if Devotion will prove a worthy successor.
Every Mariah the Scientist album so far has included a track that’s reduced me to a helpless mess: All For Me from RY RY WORLD and Reminders from MASTER, so anticipation was high for her latest, HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY. Sure enough she’s done it again, this time with the Kali Uchis collab Is It a Crime made with producers Mat1k, Oliver Easton, and Nineteen85, the latter of whom is part of the duo Dvsn with which this track shares notable similarities. It’s so good!
Sultry, low-key r&b for you today from French-born, London-based singer-songwriter and producer Léa Sen who first came to prominence with a breathy, resonant vocal on Joy Orbison’s Better in 2021, quickly followed by collaborations with Sampha, Oscar Jerome, Wu‑Lu, and Vegyn. This is taken from her debut LP LEVELS which was co-produced with her brother Florian, with each track representing a different floor in a liminal hotel of memory and growth.
Unbelievably good, taken from her recent Can’s Gone Warm EP. Sits somewhere between John Glacier and Kate Bush. Ridiculous.
Ericka De Casier mines 00s r&b to incredibly convincing effect on her latest, entirely self-produced album Lifetime, and it might very well be her best yet. The title track is the final on the LP, with drums emerging from a billowing cloud of synths before shimmering keys and her yearning vocal take centre stage. For fans of Sade, Janet Jackson and being very romantic.
duendita’s cutie lands as one of the standout tracks from their new album a strong desire to survive, out via MIKE’s 10k label. It’s a low-slung, slightly off-kilter soul tune that leans into brittle drums, tangled instrumentation and a vocal that pulls everything into place without trying too hard.
https://duendita.bandcamp.com/album/a-strong-desire-to-survive
Saya Gray’s debut album SAYA is out now. It’s a loose, low-key collection that floats between folk, R&B and experimental pop – mostly quiet, often heavy. Written after a breakup and a solo trip through Japan, the record feels personal without over-explaining. Sketchy guitar loops, voice notes, half-sung vocals – it’s all pretty stripped-back and all the better for it with PUDDLE ( OF ME ) a clear standout.
serpentwithfeet spends a lot of time in bed, and would like to tell you about it. His new GRIP SEQUEL release features six new compositions alongside alternative versions of three tracks from last year’s GRIP: a new version of ‘Lucky Me’ with strings, and remixes of ‘Spades’, featuring Ogi and Destin Conrad, and a ‘Damn Gloves’ remix by Baile Funk featuring Ty Dolla $ign, TH41 & Azzy. “I created GRIP SEQUEL because I had more to say [about sex]*” says serpent “I had more [sexy]* questions about intimacy [and sex]* and this was a fun [and sexy]* way to explore.
*my [sexy] additions
I’m back! Big love to everyone who engaged with TPW in 2024 – we had more of you than ever before, so it’s nice to know that I’m not just shouting into the void everyday.
Strutting into the new year with the first post of 2025, here’s the first single from Celeste’s second album which is due out in April. I still listen to her 2019 EP Lately a lot, so will definitely be checking the new release out when it lands.
https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/product/celeste/everyday-rsd-2024
Korg M1-lead romantic r&b from Australian, Canada-based Jack J who’s one half of Pender Street Steppers and member of the Mood Hut collective.
The Predatory Wasp 