BEST CHILL SONGS – WEEK 51

This is it, guys. One week and counting until Christmas. Have you bought all of your presents? Have you finished decorating the house? Have you stocked up on food and drink (emphasis on drink)? Shit... Sorry I asked! But wait! There's no need to panic. BitCandy are here to help with another dose of best chill songs. Simply grab your headphones and let the instantly calming sounds of Babbit, Retro Culture, Dan San, Vera Blue, Leon Bridges and more make your last-minute Christmas preparations a breeze.

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BABBIT – PAINTING GREYS

Mm... Berkeley up-and-comer Babbit is caressing my soul with his latest single. Combining haunting piano, hushed vocals and an eruption of horns in the chorus, “Painting Greys” is nothing short of sumptuous (I feel like I should insert a Fifty Shades of Grey pun here).

BRYDE – WAIT

London folk darling Bryde evokes a cold morning in her home city on her debut single. Featuring goosebumps-inducing vocals, fragile guitar falling like rain and percussion that I can only compare to a thunderstorm, “Wait” makes for perfect listening this December.

FRAENCIS (FEAT. LOTIC) – GUTTURAL

Berlin producer Fraencis arrives on the scene with a banger almost beyond categorization. Combining manipulated croons and mechanical production, industrial R&B is perhaps the closest I can get to describing “Guttural,” but even that doesn't feel like enough. Fuck...

RETRO CULTURE – COLD

After a year of silence, Matt Connelly aka Retro Culture returns with “Cold.” As the title suggests, the song is nothing short of chills-inducing. Pairing reverb-drenched vocals and his most scintillating production to date, it can only be described as a breath of fresh air.

DAN SAN – AMERICA

Belgium band Dan San charm me from the off with their debut single “America.” Driven by disarming acoustics and intricate harmonies and accompanied by a video of a motorcyclist sailing through the country (Easy Rider?), I find much to love about this ode to Uncle Sam.

VERA BLUE – HOLD – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

Meet Vera Blue, a former The Voice Australia contestant who has me captivated with her debut single. Bringing together impassioned vocals and Disclosure-inspired beats and complimented by an intimate video of Blue singing in her bedroom, “Hold” is pure emotion.

LEON BRIDGES – RIVER (LIVE ON SNL) – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

This SNL has seen some brilliant music performances, but Leon Bridges singing “River” is the one that'll stay with me forever. Is it me or could you practically feel the collective chill going down the nation's spine as he delivered the Coming Home-cut to pin-drop silence?

LUKE HOWARD – SHIFT

Luke Howard sets a blissed-out tone on his latest composition “Shift.” Clocking in at 12:34, the instrumental hears the Melbourne virtuoso embellish ambient piano with subdued electronics, and reminds me of one of my favorite Brian Eno pieces, “Thursday Afternoon.”

YUMI ZOUMA – SECOND WAVE – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

Summer has arrived in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere Life), and you can totally tell listening to Yumi Zouma's “Second Wave.” Combining breezy vocals and laid-back synths and accompanied by a video shot in the four-piece's Port Hills, this is packed full of vibes.

ALEX YOUNG – MIND CREATES THE ABYSS, THE HEART CROSSES IT

Sometimes a piece of music comes along that seems to cause the stars to align. Case in point: “Mind Creates the Abyss, the Heart Crosses It” by 19-year-old Alex Young. A piano opus penned in ode to the Indian guru Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, this is truly transcendent.

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That's it for another dose of best chill songs, guys. Merry Christmas! See you in 2016! x

“Untitled” by Joe St.Pierre is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (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.