TOP CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 47

As I mentioned over at Best Indie Songs, the news is an absolute sh*tshow at the moment. That said, it'd appear that a large portion of us are quite simply unable to switch off from the rolling coverage of the impeachment hearings. While it's important to be in tune with what's going on in the political climate, it's also vital that we step away from CNN and ground ourselves in the real world every now and then. And what better way to do that than with a dose of chill music? Just grab some headphones and center yourself this Friday with another edition of We Are: The Guard's Top Chill Music, featuring Naughty Boy & Mike Posner, Khalid, Petit Biscuit, Röyksopp, Ryan Beatty, and more.

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NAUGHTY BOY & MIKE POSNER – LIVE BEFORE I DIE

He made his breakthrough in 2015 singing “I took a pill in Ibiza,” but Mike Posner comes full circle on his latest single with Naughty Boy. “I stopped smoking weed a year ago,” announces the newly sober troubadour on “Live Before I Die” – a melodic, uplifting ode to living lucidly in the moment that was written following Mike's perilous walk across America.

KHALID – UP ALL NIGHT

If there's one thing that we can count on Khalid to do, it's bring the vibes. The 21-year-old is taking us on an after-dark drive through his mind on his mellow latest single, the Chrome Sparks-produced “Up All Night” – a neon, nocturnal chiller that's best listened to at 3 a.m. when you're staring at the ceiling and unable to slow down your thoughts.

DEBORAH'S CHILD – TSUNAME

There comes a point during adulthood when we finally realize that life isn't like the movies. There's no Hollywood-style happy ending or Prince Charming waiting in the wings to sweep us off our feet. For Deborah's Child, that point comes during “Tsuname” – a spartan electronic ballad that cuts deep with the shards of seemingly endless broken promises.

DEB NEVER – SAME (REMIX) (FEAT. TOMMY GENESIS)

Deb Never joins forces with Canada's Tommy Genesis on this remix of “Same.” The cut finds Tommy injecting a shot of venom into the laconic existential dirge, which originally appeared on Deb's EP House on Wheels, with Tommy pressing “pause” on Deb's mopes in order to direct her fangs at an ex who she raps can no longer “afford” her.

JUSTIN CARUSO (FEAT. HILDA) – BROKEN HEARTS

We all have our firsts. Our first kiss, our first love, and, yes, our first heartbreak. It's the latter that Justin Caruso is coming to terms with on his latest single “Broken Hearts,” which contrasts a vibrant, vivacious future-bass production with melancholy, lovelorn lyrics as performed with skyscraping tenacity by Don Diablo collaborator Hilda.

FLUME (FEAT. VERA BLUE) – RUSHING BACK (PETIT BISCUIT REMIX)

“Rushing Back” by Flume gets a dreamy, beat-driven remix today courtesy of Petit Biscuit. “I don't make very many remixes, but if you know me since the start, this one was a dream come true,” writes the French artist of the revision, which hears Petit Biscuit underpinning Vera Blue's gossamer vocal chops with chattering percussion that hits right in the feels.

RÖYKSOPP – SHORES OF EASY (LOST TAPES)

Röyksopp are opening their vaults once again with the release of “Shores of Easy,” the latest single to be unveiled from their ongoing project Lost Tapes. Originally uploaded in 2011, it's a 14-minute ambient opus that gradually brews like storm clouds, with Röyksopp subtly manipulating sounds before allowing the lightning strikes to hit around 9 minutes in.

CHARLOTTE LAWRENCE – GOD MUST BE DOING COCAINE

Charlotte Lawrence issues a State of the Union Address to a country in chaos on “God Must Be Doing Cocaine.” “God must be doing cocaine/Can anyone really blame him?” sings the Los Angeles act on the unflinchingly powerful ballad, which finds her discussing everything from religion to school shootings with a kind of gravitas that belies her 19 years.

RYAN BEATTY – PATCHWORK

Have you ever listened to a song that you felt was coming to you by way of a lucid dream? As “Patchwork” by Ryan Beatty is one of those songs. With pitch-shifted vocals meeting lo-fi beats cloaked in fog, “Patchwork” is an impressionistic reverie that you can file next to Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator circa IGOR.

ROLE MODEL – SAY IT FIRST

There's nothing scarier than saying “I love you” for the first time in a relationship. Just ask ROLE MODEL, who touches on the anxiety that comes with uttering those three words on “say it first” – a tender acoustic ballad that'll resonate with anyone who's ever found themselves thinking “Will they call me 'crazy?'” or “Do they even feel the same way back?”

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Photo by Feliphe Schiarolli 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.