BEST CHILL SONGS - WEEK 39

It's that time where we once again gather to let go of all of the stresses and worries that we've collected over the last seven days with the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Songs. After a long week of adulting (is it me, or did it seem like Friday was never going to come?!), feel free to see this as your chance to forget about whatever responsibilities that you may have for the next 30 minutes or so and treat yourself to some much-deserved rest and relaxation. Headphones at the ready, then, as we're about to ease into the weekend with the following 10 tracks from BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin George, Yaeji, Tourist, Eryn Allen Kane, and even more.

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BROCKHAMPTON – SAN MARCOS

There's a whole lot to love about iridescence, the new album from BROCKHAMPTON, although nothing gets me quite like “SAN MARCOS.” Clocking in at approximately five minutes, the flashlights-in-the-air acoustic ballad finds the all-American boy band showing a completely different side to their already diverse sound, with the song coming paired with a Kevin Abstract-directed video that sees BROCKHAMPTON enlisting a group of fans to help them out with the heart-stirring final chorus <3.

BREATHE. – ARE YOU ALL GOOD?

breathe. make their debut on the blogopshere with the sumptuous “Are You All Good?” Fans of HONNE and Always Never are going to want to turn their attention to this up-and-coming Australian duo, whose inaugural offering is a luxurious late-night transmission to a lover in need, with the pair crooning throughout: “Are you all good?/Are you alright?/I'm in your neighborhood/For your darkest times.”

KEVIN GEORGE – CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE SOBER

Having recently signed to Island Records, 20-year-old rapper Kevin George returns this week with “Call Me When You're Sober.” If you've ever had to deal with an ex drunk booty calling you at two in the morning, then prepare to relate to this nocturnal slab of R&B, which manages to keep it vibey despite the emotionally fragile subject matter.

CHARLI XCX – FOCUS (YAEJI REMIX)

Charli XCX and Yaeji?! Iconic collaboration, much?! It's appropriate that this remix of “Focus” dropped during Paris Fashion Week, because it most definitely sounds like something that Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Kaia Gerber should be strutting down a perspex catwalk to, with Yaeji as ever bringing the rave with her mixture of dreamy synth pads, pulsating basslines, and thumping kick drums.

YAEJI – ONE MORE

Like that Charli XCX remix isn't enough Yaeji for one week, the New York producer has also shared her first original song since last year's EP2 this Friday. “'One More' is about enduring and coming to terms with pain until you have the strength to forgive and move on,” says Yaeji of the introspective club banger, which hears the GODMODE signee singing in a mixture of Korean and English over a backdrop of muted house beats that could beckon even the most socially anxious among us to the dance floor.

SVIBES – COLORED WALLS / FLY LOW

They may hail from two different continents – lead singer Sanders Bohlke from Mississippi and producer Chris de Luca from Germany – but SVIBES sound like kindred spirits on their debut single. “In a way, this song is about self-perception. Thinking you are one thing – autonomous, capable – and then being released into the world and realizing you were not what you thought you were,” reveal the duo of “Colored Walls / Fly Low,” a four-minute electronic soul ballad that's as chill as it is moving.

TOURIST – APOLLO

Coinciding with the release of Essentials, a greatest hits of sorts spanning from 2012 to the present day, Tourist has shared the ambient odyssey “Apollo.” With translucent, glassy textures meeting more driving rhythms, it's yet another masterfully crafted composition from this British producer, with Tourist revealing that he hopes “Apollo” is a piece of music that “inspires reflection and reverie.” He continues: “I love the idea that music can 'take' you to places, and that's what this is to me when I listen back to it.”

ERYN ALLEN KANE – FEEL THE NEED

It's been a minute (well, two years, to be precise!), but Prince-approved singer-songwriter Eryn Allen Kane finally returns this 2018 with “Feel the Need.” The lead single to be unveiled from Eryn's EP Imperial Soul – out today! – is a truly joyous celebration of love, with the Michigan native's powerhouse vocals beaming down like a ray of sunshine over the vibrant Motown-style instrumental.

CLUB KURU – 49 YEARS

Following on from the release of their debut album Giving In earlier this year, Club Kuru return this September with “49 Years.” The song hears Laurie Erskine and company continuing to hone their expansively swirling breed of neo-psychedelia, with the British band resembling Unknown Mortal Orchestra with a more refined ear for pop melodies.

JAC – HOLY WATER

Holy water is revered by the Catholic church for its healing properties, and JAC is most definitely imparting some of those curative effects onto us on his latest single of the same name. Pairing the Indiana artist's angelic Auto-Tuned croon with a precise, propulsive beatscape, “Holy Water” is nothing short of a digital pop miracle that you can file alongside the likes of Bon Iver and Francis and the Lights.

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Until next Friday, don't forget to follow We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Daily! on Spotify for even more music! x

Photo by Aleksander Borzenets 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.