The Predatory Wasp
Spellbinding experimentations in rhythm and tone here from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter and violinist (and band) on one of the early stand-out’s from her new album KIND. I Forget to Drink Water (Balance) has so much going on, but it’s all hushed, subdued and innate, as if it’s music that has seeped up from the earth rather than been actively performed.
Downtempo R&B jams galore on Summer Walker’s new EP Life On Earth, from which this collab with PARTYNEXTDOOR stands out, largely due to the production which sits in a very sweet spot between melancholic gloom and hopeful longing. Vocals from both are perfectly on-point, resulting in a finely balanced and affecting portrait of a relationship under strain.
Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh started off their artistic career as a poet before releasing their debut single First Take back in 2017. smut is one of the tracks on their new EP, ROSETTA, which dropped last week. It’s an intoxicating pop-r&b-electronic hybrid: unpredictable and constantly shifting in tone and style over the course of its four-minute running time, and I absolutely love it.
Miraa May has been putting out a steady stream of reliably good r&b for the last five years or so, and has a new single, Woman Like Me, out this month. Anger is from her debut EP N15, and one I wanted to highlight as I really don’t think it received the attention it deserves. It’s so good: superb, stripped-down, moody production and her voice has never sounded better. If you’re not familiar with her, this is the place to start.
I absolutely love Denai Moore. Her last two albums We Used To Bloom and Elsewhere have been on heavy rotation for the last few years, and I’m very exited about her next LP, Modern Dread, which lands in July. The production on Motherless Child is a lot more electronic and stripped-down than some of her previous music, but her voice is as heartfelt and soulful as ever. She’s a true original, and if her new album is anything like as good as the last two, we’re in for a treat.
Qadir reminds me of shitloads of different songs and artists, but is also undeniably original. In this one song alone I can hear Zero 7, BADBADNOTGOOD, Thundercat, even a touch of Marvin Gaye, as well as various others, but somehow it still sounds fresh and unique. The rest of the album, WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD – which came out last week – is a similar vibe, and combined with the sun blasting in from outside is making me feel exceptionally chilled and happy.
This is the second track on Kehlani’s very well received second album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, with a guest verse from Tory Lanez with whom I became vaguely obsessed with around the release of his I Told You LP, but haven’t really paid attention to since. Both are on excellent form on Can I, which is a sultry, lugubrious banger.
I’ve always liked serpentwithfeet a lot more in theory than in practice, and have found a lot of his previous stuff a little impenetrable, even after multiple listens. A Comma is the first record of his I’ve liked immediately: it’s definitely way more accessible than anything on his last album, and his voice really shines when accompanied by this more stripped-back, less hectic production.
This one had me fully on board within five seconds. Something about that winding, fizzing synth line and those beats… and then they both start singing: absolutely incredible. The entire album, Aarupa, is also one of the best I’ve heard so far this year. Quinton Barnes – you have my attention!
This is taken from the Jessie Reyes new album BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US ALL, which I think is a really brilliant title. Not sure the album really lives up to it to be honest – it includes a couple of really forgettable features from Eminem and 6lack – but this is a total banger.
The Predatory Wasp 