BEST CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 2

Let's face it: January can be pretty tough going. It's a time when we tend to pile a lot of pressure on ourselves with the whole “New Year, New You!” mentality. Not that I'm against anyone striving to be a better person – we all need to strive to be better people – but I'm simply saying this: Don't be so hard on yourself, cut yourself some slack! You're doing okay! You have the rest of 2017 ahead of you to get shit done, so why not ease up on the stress a little this weekend with the following edition of Best Chill Music? I mean, who knows? By taking a couple of days out with the latest tracks from dvsn, Seeb, Emma Sameth, Pollàri & Lil Peep, Lonelyspeck and others, maybe you'll come back even more determined to achieve that New Year's resolution of yours!

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DVSN – WITH ME/DO IT WELL

Canadian duo dvsn are starting the year on a sultry note with the two-part video for “With Me” and “Do It Well” from their debut album, Sept. 5th. Opening with a model driving a vintage Mustang down an empty road before cutting to a trapeze act dancing seductively in a dimly lit room, the Jon Riera and LeSean Harris-directed clip makes for an arresting accompaniment to Daniel Daley and Nineteen85's intimate and erotic breed of R&B.

SEEB (FEAT. NEEV) – BREATHE (ACOUSTIC)

Almost one year after unveiling their debut single “Breathe,” Seeb – the Norwegian production trio who remixed Mike Posner's “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” to chart success in 2015 – return with an acoustic version. Built around an intricate fingerpicked guitar and soul-stirring orchestral strings, over which guest vocalist NEEV delivers a truly touching performance, dare I say that I prefer this acoustic rendition to the original?

EMMA SAMETH – 2AM (PROD. DNTST & BERG)

Emma Sameth sets a sensual tone on her DNTST and Berg-produced latest single “2am.” Released via bitbird, it's an aching piece of electronic pop that pairs the Los Angeles singer's breathy and ethereal vocals with moody synths and sparse percussion. “The track originally had a more jazz-like inspiration. DNTST and Berg flipped it into something totally new, which took the lyrics to a bit of a darker side,” reveals Emma. “At the time I had been listening to a lot of electronic R&B and pop singers, like Kiiara, Sinead Harnett and Astrid S. I would say I had all of their styles in mind when starting to write this track.”

POLLÀRI & LIL PEEP – FANTASY (PROD. BROBAK)

Pollàri teams up with rapper-of-the-moment Lil Peep on his latest single, “Fantasy.” Produced by BROBAK, it's a sleepy slice of hip hop that hears Pollàri and Lil Peep working their charms on a girl (“You look like a girl from the magazine/Movie screen come with me/I'll keep you company”) atop a lush spread of skittering beats and druggy guitar riffs.

ABRA – BOUNTY

Following the announcement that she's set to make her acting debut later this year in the thriller Assassination Nation alongside Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young and Hari Nefi, Awful signee Abra returns this January with “Bounty.” Clocking in at just over five minutes, it's a sultry and brooding piece of electronic R&B from the self-described Darkwave Duchess that comes packed full of late-night vibes.

KATUCHAT – I MISS YOU

As an animal lover, I can safely say that Katuchat moved me to tears with “I Miss You,” an instrumental composed after the recent death of the French producer's dog. Making use of his mixed emotions, “I Miss You” is an at once devastating and joyful piece of music, and certain to resonate with anyone who's ever been unfortunate enough to lose a pet. “Bizarre and disagreeable to say goodbye to this ball of love having accompanied me half my life,” writes Katuchat on Twitter. “2017 exhausts me already.” 

FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS (FEAT. KANYE WEST) – MY CITY'S GONE

After the glimmering, thoughtful “Friends,” New York City future pop crooner Francis Farewell Starlite aka Francis And The Lights is back with yet another Kanye West-collaboration in the form of “My City's Gone.” Lifted from his recent album Farewell, Starlite!, “My City's Gone” is a dreamy and Bon Iver-esque piano ballad that hears Kanye contributing backing vocals by way of 808s & Heartbreak-era AutoTune.

BIEN – THE BEST PART

Introducing Bien, the enigmatic Nashville band who're sure to mesmerize you with their latest single “The Best Part.” Featured on their self-titled debut EP, “The Best Part” is a dream-inducing indie pop ballad that hears crystalline female vocals set against a bed of soothing chimes, resulting in a melancholic and heart-stopping sound that's sure to appeal to fans of Milk And Bone and Say Lou Lou.

BRUNO MAJOR – HOME

One of my favorite discoveries of 2016 was without a doubt Bruno Major, the English singer-songwriter who continues his majestic streak this January with “Home.” The follow-up to the previously featured “Wouldn't Mean A Thing,” “There's Little Left” and “The First Thing You See,” “Home” is an indescribably beautiful acoustic ballad that truly stopped me in my tracks with its Leonard Cohen-esque charm.

LONELYSPECK – HAPPY NEW YEAR

Australian singer-songwriter Sione Teumohenga aka Lonelyspeck gets 2017 off to the most beautiful of starts with the aptly titled “Happy New Year.” The latest song to be unveiled from the TEEF signee's forthcoming EP Lave is a sprawling and introspective six-minute drift that finds Sione crooning amid an ever-changing ambient environment. “As 2015 became 2016 I was writing the first incarnation of this track and I always called it 'Happy New Year' because of that,” writes Lonelyspeck on Facebook. “I felt it would be timely to release it almost exactly a year later.”

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Enjoy your weekend! x

“Photo” by Joshua Earle is licensed under CC0 1.0 (cropped and resized).

About Jess Grant

When Jess Grant isn't writing on music, she can be found playing it – on her guitar, on her ukulele, and on her recently acquired mandolin. Playing it hideously, she ought to add. Jess also studies. She studies the English language, to be precise. Jess is currently on her way to a degree in the subject, and enjoys starting and never finishing novels, screenplays, and poetry in her spare time. She also likes dogs. Lots of dogs.