BEST CHILL SONGS: 10 TRACKS TO SEE YOU THROUGH

Photo by La-Rel Easter on Unsplash

Between Halloween on Saturday, the clocks going back on Sunday, and Election Day on Tuesday (VOTE!), there’s some serious chaotic energy brooding. It’s going to be a tumultuous few days, that’s for sure, which probably explains why the latest edition of We Are: The Guard’s Best Chill Songs is more needed than ever. With 5 o’clock almost upon us, then, turn the music on and turn the world off with the following tracks from Khamari & Jae Stephens, Adrianne Lenker, Melpo Mene, and others.

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KHAMARI & JAE STEPHENS – OTHER SIDE

It doesn’t get much more sensuous than this. Khamari can’t get an ex out of his head on his latest single “Other Side.” Featured on his recent EP Eldorado, it’s a quietly aching, longing R&B ballad about being unable to let go of a former lover, with Jae Stephens making for a perfect accompaniment to Khamari as he sings of his seductive thoughts.

ADRIANNE LENKER – INGYDAR

Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker mediates on the cyclical nature of life on the delicate “ingydar.” “Everything eats and is eaten/Time is fed,” sings the Indianapolis native on the song – which is named after her family horse – with an acoustic weaving like a tapestry beneath Adrianne as her fragile voice speaks of endings and beginnings.

MELPO MENE – GET A ROCKET

Sweden’s Melpo Mene turns his eyes to the sky on the lush “Get a Rocket.” “Why you dig ‘em down if they’re going to heaven?” asks Melpo on this stunning ode to death and the religious practices surrounding it, with Melpo’s existential musings coming blanketed in an atmospheric instrumental that channels everyone from Sade to Radiohead.

EMILIA ALI – QUIET

Having recently shared her cover of blink-182’s “What’s My Age Again?” on We Are: The Guard, Emilia Ali returns today with the affecting “Quiet.” The song hears the rising artist detailing what appears to be an experience with an abusive relationship, with Emilia’s use of space giving her the room she needs to tell her story with brave impact.

LOOTE – PUSHING DAISIES

With four days to go until Election Day, New York City’s Loote are reflecting on the political climate of our time on the gorgeous “Pushing Daisies.” Listen as the two-piece touch on the deep sense of despair felt across the country on the piano ballad, before ending on a more positive note in the song’s tenderly beautiful bridge. VOTE!

MILOE – CHANGE YOUR MIND

He recently won us over with his ode to Winona Ryder, and today, Miloe returns to do it all over again with “Change Your Mind.” “‘Change Your Mind’ felt like an exercise in accepting that your love is unrequited,” writes the Minneapolis native of the ebullient, vibrant piece, with Miloe still shining like the sun through his broken heart.

KIANA LEDÉ & GARY CLARK JR. – YOUTH.

Just six months on from the release of her album KIKI, Kiana Ledé is back today with the Gary Clark Jr. collaboration “Youth.” Clocking in at three minutes, it’s an emotive tribute to the young black activists rising up across America to fight systemic racism, with Kiana’s silken vocals intertwining with Gary’s virtuoso guitar with ease.

LENTRA – 2B HAPPY

Kleenex at the ready, as lentra is getting us in his feelings on his latest single “2b happy.” Listen as the Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and self-described “best microwaver” showcases his most emotional side to date on this glimmering bedroom ballad, with lentra listing off his thoughts and regrets over a sparkling night sky of beats.

KYLE LUX – ARE YOU IN LOVE?

Dim the lights, as Kyle Lux is setting the mood on his opulent latest single “Are You in Love?” Featured on his recent EP Projectors, “Are You in Love?” finds Kyle shifting into full-gear R&B crooner mode, with the Los Angeles artist questioning the true intentions of his lover over the kind of luxurious production that’d make D’Angelo proud.

CLN – SUNBEAMS

Australia’s cln looks back on a lost friendship on the tranquil “Sunbeams.” Written following a bout of writer's block, it finds the rising producer at perhaps his most sonically creative to date, with the song moving from contemplative beats to more kinetic drops as cln tops the whole thing off with his blissful notes of nostalgia.

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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.