BEST CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 42

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Music. That's right – it's that time of the week when we once again tune out of the noise of the outside world and instead tune in to some much-needed chill vibes. Don't forget – it's not that often that we're able to hit the “pause” button on life, so be sure to enjoy it while you can. Check out the following selection of top chill songs courtesy of Cigarettes After Sex, Active Child, gnash, Flume, Joji & Jackson Wang, and more.

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CIGARETTES AFTER SEX – FALLING IN LOVE

Following on from the release of “Heavenly,” Cigarettes After Sex return this week with more music to slow dance in the dark to. “Falling in Love” is an ode to Greg Gonzalez's former long-distance relationship, with cosmic, dappling guitars waltzing behind the singer as he recalls one of the more microscopic moments when he longed to be with his girlfriend: “The second verse is about how we would go see the same movie at the same time like it was a date, even though we were living in separate cities.”

ACTIVE CHILD – SET ME FREE

This is absolutely gorgeous. Active Child celebrates the joys of fatherhood on his latest single “Set Me Free.” Written following the birth of his daughter Nova, it's a stunningly beautiful piece of music that completely overflows with love, with Patrick Grossi really capturing the awe that comes with being a new parent. “I sing, thanking her for breaking the spell and filling my voice with light and air and hope again,” says Active Child. “It's like a hymn to me.”

GNASH – FORGIVE

SoundCloud rapper gnash is wearing his heart on his sleeve on his latest single “forgive.” It's an earnest ballad that hears the 26-year-old asking for forgiveness from a lover who's thinking about leaving him, with a fragile acoustic acting as the sole accompaniment to gnash's sincere confessional: “So hold me, hold me 'til the river runs dry/I'm holding, holding on to you for dear life/'Cause I never know the words to say, but you forgive me anyway/Even though we both know I'm the reason you cry.”

MXMS – WHAT'S MY NAME

One month on from sharing the harrowing “What's My Name” in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day, MXMS return today with the official video. Directed by Cary Longchamps, the clip takes place in the haunted setting of an abandoned high school where singer Ariel Levitan once found herself subject to endless bullying and abuse, with the MXMS frontwoman protruding with pain as she sits at dusty desks while shots of her scowling tormentor appear intermittently throughout the visual.

FLUME (FEAT. VERA BLUE) – RUSHING BACK (LIVE)

Just two weeks on from unveiling “Rushing Back,” Australia's Flume returns today with a live acoustic version. It gives us an enchanting insight into how the song – which originally debuted during Flume's set at Lollapalooza in August – sounds after being stripped back to its emotional core, with the lack of production really allowing feature artist Vera Blue's captivating vocal pyrotechnics to take center stage. Enjoy.

VAGABON – EVERY WOMAN

Coinciding with the release of her self-titled album and the follow-up to 2017's Infinite Worlds, Vagabon, aka Lætitia Tamko, is back today with “Every Woman.” Lætitia describes the mournful yet glowing folk ballad as “the thesis” of her LP, with hushed strums coddling the 24-year-old as she sings about the struggles of womanhood, and the strength of women. “I want the song to be like someone's older sister that makes you feel seen and heard and understood,” explains Vagabon. Listen.

EMERSON LEIF – WAKE UP WITH YOU

There's nothing quite like that feeling of waking up next to someone who you love after years of waking up alone and full of regrets. Just ask Emerson Leif, the Australian singer-songwriter who's dreaming of a warm body beside him on his latest single “Wake up With You,” a smooth-sailing electro-soul groove that positions Emerson's croon front and center.

JOJI & JACKSON WANG (FEAT. SWAE LEE & MAJOR LAZER) – WALKING

To quote YouTube user 陈美尔: “I like how Swae Lee gives a vibe. Jackson Wang attracts with his voice and gets into the mood. Joji is just full of emotions.” Major Lazer are also delivering on the production side of things on “Walking,” a lilting piece of moombahton that forms part of 88rising's recent collaborative album Head in the Clouds II.

MORMOR – WON'T LET YOU

MorMor has no shortage of heavenly devotionals, but “Won't Let You” is perhaps his finest to date. Coming just five months on from the release of his EP Some Place Else, “Won't Let You” finds Seth Nyquist ripping open his chest for everyone to see, with MorMor's falsetto on full display as he pledges his life-long allegiance to a lover over an ascendant surge of strings.

TEEPEE – NO REASON

Introducing teepee, the Czech duo comprising of Tereza Lavičková and Miroslav Patočka, who are delivering dream pop with a social conscious on their latest single “No Reason.” With the backing of an ethereal guitar line, listen as Tereza and Miroslav sing about breaking free from gender stereotypes on the song, which manages to remain otherworldly while still offering a message of vital importance.

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Photo by J E S U S R O C H A on Unsplash

Jess Grant is a frustrated writer hailing from London, England. When she isn't tasked with disentangling her thoughts from her brain and putting them on paper, Jess can generally be found listening to The Beatles, or cooking vegetarian food.