BEST CHILL SONGS - WEEK 26

Hello, readers! How are you?! How's your summer going so far?! Hopefully better than mine! It turns out that spending all week in bed, rising periodically to apply menthol rub, really isn't a summer vibe! ANYWAYS! While I may be currently battling a fever in a heat wave, nothing, I repeat NOTHING, can stop me from bringing you the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Music! Before I head off to make my next batch of honey and lemon tea, then, let's check out the following chill songs from Raffaella, FINNEAS, Lyves, Rich Brian, Emotional Oranges, and more!

FAODAIL – WREN

Time to spread your wings and take flight into a universe free of all pain and suffering with help from Faodail. The Scottish producer also known as Callan Marchetti has completely rescued me with the lush, atmospheric instrumental “Wren,” with the combination of sparse piano chords and gently driving percussion genuinely making me feel weightless.

RAFFAELLA – HELL YEAH

Raffaella never disappoints. The Manhattan artist quite literally hasn't released a bad song yet, and her latest single “Hell Yeah” is no exception. Breathy, gauzy, and lightweight, like a daydream come to life, “Hell Yeah” is an exceptionally stunning ballad that finds Raffaella taking aim at the poor little rich kids from the Upper East Side who, I quote, “confuse spirituality with currency.”

ESSENGER – QUIVIRA

If you're feeling a little emotionally fragile this Friday, then you may want to listen to this one later. Kansas City artist Essenger is not just tugging at the heartstrings, but full-on pulling them out on his latest single “Quivira,” a devastatingly, achingly beautiful ballad that details a breakup in painfully raw detail: “I saw your car at the store last night/Felt my stomach turn/When I saw you leave with him.”

FINNEAS – I LOST A FRIEND

There's nothing more painful than falling out with a friend. Just ask FINNEAS, who channels his hurt into the video for his stunningly gorgeous latest single “I Lost a Friend.” Directed by Sam Bennett, the clip sees Billie Eilish's brother walking through a field at sunset in an attempt to come to terms with his situation, with FINNEAS gradually being accompanied by a group of dancers as the visual progresses.

DOURAN – PHENOMENA

Buckle up, as Paris producer Douran is embarking on an exquisite space odyssey on his latest single “Phenomena.” If there was ever a song that captured what it must feel like as an astronaut to stare back at Planet Earth in its entirety, then it's this one, with the mixture of stunningly cinematic strings and rising electronics giving me some serious Hans Zimmer circa Interstellar vibes.

JARON – CATCH

Introducing Jaron, the Los Angeles producer who's here to carry you to a place of complete and utter tranquillity with “Catch.” With Jaron's EDEN-esque vocals coming set against a bed of soothing acoustics and lush, atmospheric echoes, “Catch” is a pillowy soft listen that genuinely made me feel like I was floating on Cloud Nine. P.S. Did I mention that he's only 17 years old?

LYVES – FADED

Indulge in the sultry, sumptuous sounds of Lyves. The London songstress tries her hand at disco on her latest single “Faded,” with mirror-ball synths and funk-flecked guitars dancing with Lyves as she sings of a dying love with Donna Summer-esque finesse: “Cold water and cold heart/Promise me a new start/Because days turn into nights/I know you're afraid.”

RICH BRIAN (FEAT. BEKON) – YELLOW

As the world's attention continues to be turned toward the desperately tragic plight of immigrants, Rich Brian returns with a rare message of hope in the form of “Yellow.” Written about the journey that the rapper made from Jakarta, Indonesia to Los Angeles, and the subsequent success that he found with 88rising, “Yellow” is an emotional, deeply personal piece of music that showcases Rich's growth as both an artist and a human being.

EMOTIONAL ORANGES – GOOD TO ME

Just seven days on from the release of their cover of Cassie's “Me & You,” Emotional Oranges return to our column this Friday with the erotic video for The Juice: Vol. I cut “Good to Me.” The clip, which was directed by Danilo Parra, is described by Emotional Oranges as “dealing with a haunting feeling of losing someone you're truly connected to,” with the visual at one point paying tribute to that iconic pottery scene from 1990's Ghost.

COSKUN – CLOUDS

Concluding with an instrumental that's sure to see you into the weekend in carefree style. Just in time for summer, “Clouds” by London's Coskun is the kind of number that's best listened to while lying down in the green grass and looking up at the blue sky, with the easygoing chill-hop composition really bringing those Sunday afternoon vibes

Don't forget to follow We Are: The Guard's Weekly Chart for more chill vibes! x

Photo by Aziz Acharki 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.