BEST CHILL SONGS - WEEK 50

“It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas/Everywhere you go.” That's right, traffic is at a standstill, the parking lots are full, and the store lines are stretching all of the way to the back of the mall. Okay, okay, so I don't mean to sound like a complete Ebenezer Scrooge, but it's undeniable that the festive season is incredibly stressful for a whole number of reasons. There's no need to panic, however, as We Are: The Guard is here to help take the heat out of the holiday burnout this Friday with the latest edition of Best Chill Songs. Just grab a freshly brewed Toffee Nut Latte and a trusty pair of headphones and enjoy the following chill vibes from Jon Hopkins & Kelly Lee Owens, 3LAU, EOB, and more.

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JON HOPKINS & KELLY LEE OWENS – LUMINOUS SPACES

This is utterly transcendent! Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens join forces for the seven-minute masterpiece “Luminous Spaces.” Originally intended as a remix of the song “Luminous Beings,” it eventually transmogrified into a sprawling, rhapsodic entity of its own, with Jon's propulsive club beats acting as a perfect foil to Kelly's keening siren call.

3LAU (FEAT. XIRA) – TOKYO

Justin David Blau, or 3LAU, makes his debut on Anjunabeats this Friday with “Tokyo.” The XIRA-featuring cut – which follows on from “Miss Me More” – is a trance-leaning ode to The Big Mikan, with strobe-like synths and ethereal vocals successfully evoking the neon and rain-speckled streets of this equal parts futuristic and historic Japanese metropolis.

JANINE – 3AM

Janine is staring up at the bedroom ceiling, dreaming of a long-lost lover on her latest single “3AM.” “If I can't get over it, can't get over you/What the hell am I supposed to do?” repeatedly asks the New Zealand musician on the cut – a late-night piece of bedroom-pop majesty that hears trap skitters coming caressed by Janine's sensual yet melancholy coo.

ALAYNA – TENDER

It's all too easy to become a cold, calloused husk of a human in this world full of letdowns, but alayna is here to remind us that there's a bravery in embracing our softer sides on “Tender.” “My softness is my superpower,” declares the New Zealand act on the cut – a delicately spun ballad that hears alayna's vocals shimmering like gossamer in the sunlight.

BAUM – DUNNO (MAC MILLER COVER)

BAUM covering Mac Miller? This is everything! “This song means the entire world to me and I've wanted to sing it so badly,” writes the We Are: The Guard favorite of her decision to cover the Swimming cut – which was originally written in tribute to Ariana Grande – with BAUM effortlessly sinking into the wavy, reverb-drenched vibe like it was made for her.

EOB – BRASIL

Radiohead's Ed O'Brien continues to roll out his solo material this Friday with the release of the Flood-produced “Brasil.” The follow-up to the previously featured “Santa Teresa” is a sprawling nine-minute opus that begins like a long-lost folk reverie, with a four-on-the-floor beat ultimately beckoning the song to the dance floor for a thrilling, exhilarating fiesta.

BRUNO MAJOR – TAPESTRY

Just in time for the arrival of winter, British troubadour Bruno Major returns this Friday with the ultimate addition to your rainy-day playlists. “Tapestry” is a softy spoken, dexterously woven folk ballad that Bruno wrote after being dropped from his record label in 2014, with the lyrics serving as a gentle reminder that even our failures help to shape us as people.

LYVES – DEEP WATER

Lyves closes out the year in truly commanding style this Friday with “Deep Water.” Written alongside Saint Claire and Tienus Konijnenburg, the song is yet another force of nature from the artist also known as Francesca Bergami, with the London powerhouse presiding over the sweeping, cinematic strings and pounding drums blend with an almighty prowess.

AYELLE – MIND & BODY

It's time to dim the lights, as Ayelle is setting the mood on her goosebumps-raising latest single “Mind and Body.” The Swedish-Iranian singer-songwriter has one thing and one thing only on her mind on the ravishingly seductive cut – which follows on from “Unpredictable” – with Ayelle crooning with skin-on-skin intimacy over minimal trap shivers.

EDEN – LOVE, DEATH, DISTRACTION

Ahead of the release of his forthcoming album no future in 2020, EDEN returns this Friday with the fragmented beauty “love, death, distraction.” The Irish troubadour tells V that the song was inspired by the detrimental effects of being constantly exposed to social media, with Jonathon Ng formulating a gorgeous choir of vocals over the lofty guitar production.

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Photo by Kinga Cichewicz 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.