The Predatory Wasp
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!
Eriks de Casier announces her forthcoming album Still with new single Lucky, which treads a familiar but nevertheless enjoyable path: warm chords, stripped-back, evocative breaks and plaintive, romantic vocals. The most interesting part of the announcement though is the list of collaborators Casier produces on the album, namely They Hate Change, Shygirl and Blood Orange. Still is out 21 February, so I don’t even need to spend too much time imagining what that will sound like.
Yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary (!!!) of the release of FKA Twigs’ staggeringly brilliant EP2. Produced by Arca, it went on to ‘inspire’ an entire wave of artists attempting to replicate its stripped-back yet immensely rich and impactful sound. Very few matched its creativity and sheer take-your-breath-away originality, and none surpassed it, arguably even Twigs herself (although many would disagree with me on that last point). A decade later it still represent a high point, both musically and culturally, and perhaps most importantly, open my own eyes and ears to a world to which I was previously completely ignorant.
If you’d like to know the specific meaning behind Tinashe’s recent low-key r&b banger Talk To Me Nice, Genius has a video just for you. If, like me, you’re just here for the breezy vibes, she has you covered. Also: is that a Roni Size sample at the start?? I’m calling it. Taken from her new EP BB/ANG3L which landed last week.
The Canadian duo’s Steve Lind on the inspirational merits of an r&b icon
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
For more than a decade, Freak Heat Waves have been steadily amassing a cult following and earning acclaim from both critics and underground aficionados alike. Their music is a heady cocktail that defies easy categorization, blending elements of post-punk, psych, dub, ambient, house, and techno. Their eclectic sound has served as the soundtrack to countless DIY punk shows, outsider galleries and sleazy discos, establishing the duo as iconoclasts with a reputation for ignoring expectations and subverting genre conventions.
Their latest album Mondo Tempo exists in a hazy space between all these genres. Lead by Lind’s purringly nonchalant vocals, all the tracks on Mondo Tempo are various shades of “extremely chill”. From the barely-there, Nightmares on Wax-evoking Altered States to the spacious, breezy melodies of Cindy collab In a Moment Divine it’s one to be savoured, preferably while poolside somewhere exotic.
For their One Track Mind selection, Freak Heat Waves Steve Lind has dived back into the movie vaults to the soundtrack of a nearly 80 year old noir classic.
Madison McFerrin has previously been lauded by a range of the music media Big Dogs, including The New York Times, NPR, The FADER, and Pitchfork, who named her a Rising Artist in 2018. Her debut album I Hope You Can Forgive Me landed last week, coming in at a sparse 26 minutes and including this 10/10 stripped-back r&b gem.
Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara releases her new album London Ko today, exploring Malian blues, folk and r&b and blending traditional West African sounds with contemporary production. The album includes a number of collaborations, including Damon Albarn, Roberto Fonseca, Yemi Alade, M.anifest and this gem from US soul legend Angie Stone.
https://www.normanrecords.com/records/197161-fatoumata-diawara-london-ko
You know Eddie Chacon as one half of Charles & Eddie, the duo behind Would I Lie To You – one of the biggest hits of the early 90s and a song so overwhelmingly ubiquitous that Chacon eventually abandoned the music industry in an attempt to escape it. He returned in 2020 with a debut solo album, and has just released its follow-up, Sundown, from which Far Away is taken. Sitting somewhere between soft-focus soul and meandering jazz, its reminiscent of acts like Rhye, and is about as distant from the bombast of Would I Lie To You as its possible to get, which is probably the point.
I don’t think I’ve posted a big, brash pop banger on here for a while, so this might come as a bit of a shock to anyone who’s got used to my meandering ambient leanings. One of four new songs on Tei Shi’s new EP BAD PREMONITION, FAMILIAR is sparse, taut and immediately satisfying.
The Predatory Wasp 