The Predatory Wasp
Leon Bridges wrote this a decade ago around the time of his fantastic debut LP Coming Home, but it’s only just seeing the light of day. Nostalgic country-soul stylings from one of the best sounding voices in the business.
Thee modern masters of sweet soul return with We Don’t Have to Be Alone: a gorgeous, floaty ballad that deals with two folks coming to terms with the fact that it’s ok to find comfort and joy in love at a provisional level. Happy Friday y’all.
https://theesacredsouls.bandcamp.com/track/we-dont-have-to-be-alone
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
Penned at his hometown of Wheaton, Maryland, soul boy Jalen Ngonda returns with Just As Long As We’re Together – a smooth, soulful nod to classic Motown, with effortless falsetto, warmth, and lush instrumentation. Channeling the spirit of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, Ngonda delivers a heartfelt ode to love, wrapped in rich melodies and timeless charm.
https://jalenngonda.bandcamp.com/track/just-as-long-as-were-together
Here’s another one I missed from last year, taken from American singer, songwriter and producer Bilal’s sixth studio album Adjust Brightness: a heady blend of soul, jazz and funk through an electronic lens. Full of life and warmth, there’s also a menacing undercurrent to The Story that adds to its allure.
SAULT’s Acts of Faith was originally released as a free download back in July 2024 before a surprise official release on Christmas day last month. I missed both of these releases, so I’m sharing the beautiful opening track now for everyone else whose fingers is a firmly on the pulse as mine.
I was going to post a 17 minute drone piece from Pefkin (which is really excellent and you should definitely listen to it) but decided this, from Qendresa’s new album Londra, was more “Friday vibes”.
Leon Bridges’ voice is indescribably lush, and seems to belong to a completely different time. When he sings the hook on That’s What I Love, the stand-out track from his new album, Leon, everything else just melts away and you can ignore the trite, saccharine lyrics and even forgive him the ill-advised spoken word section about “the way the street smells after the rain”. In most other people’s hands this would be unbearable, but he makes it sublime.
RIP summer! It was fun while it lasted, but we’re done with you, and with the first Friday of Autumn we can welcome a load of interesting new album releases. Top of the pile is Pale Jay’s Low End Love Songs, possibly my most anticipated album of the year and which starts with the most glorious opening track I’ve heard in ages. Plus, it’s just in time for my birthday! Thanks, Jay. ❤
JPEGMAFIA may be too creative for his own good. Often his tracks have more ideas in them than entire albums from other artists. Sometimes this results of works of genius, at others it makes his music hard to keep up with; an overwhelming assault of samples, glitches, changes of direction and genre clashes. For me, his new album I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is too much like hard work, but it does have its moments. either on or off the drugs is vibey, soulful bliss.: just don’t expect the rest of the album to sound anything like it.
https://jpegmafia.bandcamp.com/album/i-lay-down-my-life-for-you
The Predatory Wasp 