The Predatory Wasp
I was recently introduced to Qendresa’s brilliantly hazy 2020 album Midnight Request Line which I would highly recommend to any fans of Sade, System Olympia, and lo-fi r&B in general. Her latest single Sweet Lies, co-written, produced and mixed by Jkarri, came out last month and is well worth your time.
Mk.gee’s LP Two Star & The Dream Police is the Take Care of 2024, and his latest single Lonely Flight continues his sadboy reflections in impeccable fashion.
Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn first collaborated on 2022’s fantastic Pigments and recently announced a new album, Quiet in a World Full of Noise, which is coming out in October. Breathe Out is the lead single and continues to blend Richard’s r&b instincts with Zahn’s expansive, atmospheric arrangements.
https://dawnrichard.bandcamp.com/album/quiet-in-a-world-full-of-noise
American R&B singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Fana Hues describes the process of working through grief on her third album Moth as ““denying the fact that it happened, turning it into shameful pettiness, self-reflection, re-grounding myself and acceptance, and then letting it go”. The drums on Gone Again stand out – purposeful and intricate – with Hues’ airy vocal soaring majestically above them.
Apologies for my extended break – it was pre-Glastonbury/Glastonbury/post-Glastonbury, so I couldn’t really engage with anything else. But now I’m back! Lots of interesting albums out recently, but this opening track from Omar Apollo’s new album God Said No is the one I’ve had on loop. So while everyone else is losing their shit about Pedro, we can listen to this low-key banger.
John Glacier has already released one of the best EPs of the year, and has now announced a second, Duppy Gun, alongside its lead single Steady As I Am. Lo-fi, hazy beats and Glacier’s icy delivery abound, and while it’s perhaps not quite as startlingly brilliant as the tracks on Like A Ribbon, it’s still very good. Looking forward to the EP which lands 20 June.
This came out last year, but I’m highlighting it now as a) I’ve only just listened to it and it’s brilliant and b) he’s playing in my hometown next week, and is the first musical act I’ve been genuinely excited about here for ages. Significant serpentwithfeet vibes. And he’s playing in a library! Madness. More of this kind of mournful electronic-indie R&B, please.
Laryssa Kim’s new album Contezza is described in the press materials as “a crossroad where Brian Eno, Enya, and Erykah Badu all meet”, and somewhat surprisingly that’s not all bullshit hyperbole. Singing in French, English and Italian over lush electronic backdrops, Kim creates a deeply engaging atmosphere that moves from romantic to alienating and back again, often in the space of a single track.
Ever wondered what a cross between Joji, Omar Apollo and Paul Simon would sound like? If yes; you, my friend, are in luck!
The Predatory Wasp 