THE TOP CHILL MUSIC IN THE WORLD THIS WEEK

Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash

Can you believe there are exactly three weeks to go until Christmas? I’ve not even started my gift shopping, never mind thought about what ugly sweater I’m planning on wearing this year. Something tells me I’m going to have to get my butt into gear ASAP, but before all of that, let’s chill with the latest edition of We Are: The Guard’s Top Chill Music. Eggnog Latte at the ready, then, as it’s time for the following songs from Fred again.., San Holo, Quarter-Life Crisis & Ryan Hemsworth, and more.

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FRED AGAIN.. – JULIA (DEEP DIVING)

British purveyor of so-called “actual life music” Fred again.. immerses us in the glistening euphoria of love on “Julia (Deep Diving).” The follow-up to “Jessie (I Miss You)” once again hears Fred building his song around an Instagram sample – this time from Julia Michaels – with house stabs bringing a blissful note to Julia’s speaking voice.

SAN HOLO – BB U OK?

He got us through the initial months of the pandemic with stay vibrant, and today, San Holo is back to see us through the next few weeks with the colorful “bb u ok?” “It’s about checking in with the people you love,” says San of the piece, which quite masterfully blends emotionally charged guitars with more intense beat drops for a bop like no other.

QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS & RYAN HEMSWORTH (FEAT. CLAUD) – YOU & ME

Having recently teamed up with everyone from Frances Quinlan to Charlie Martin, Quarter-Life Crisis founder Ryan Hemsworth returns this Friday with his latest collaborative single – the Claud-featuring “You & Me.” It’s an exquisite love song full of melancholic longing, with Claud’s coo lending itself to Ryan’s intricate chugs with ease.

SERENA ISIOMA & MAVI – I DON’T WANNA GO

There’s no one doing it quite like Serena Isioma. Following on from the release of “Stop Calling the Police on Me,” a song that discussed childhood trauma, the Chicago act is back today with “I Don’t Wanna Go” – an ode to commitment issues that hears Serena’s voice cutting like a knife over a psychedelic garage swirl. The Leo Sun Sets is out now.

LAURA ELLIOTT – CAROLINE

She recently made her breakthrough with “Grass Stains,” and this month, Laura Elliott continues her rise with the shattering “Caroline.” It’s an incredibly intimate, guitar-swept ballad that fully left me in pieces, with Laura singing about her deeply personal battles with her mental health and the impacts it has on her relationships to devastating effect.

CARO♡ – HIDE ME HERE

It’s not every day I get to feature PC Music here, but the record label’s latest signee caro♡ is proving “millennial pop” can be chill too on “hide me here.” “It’s about the distance between your ideals and reality, and how it makes you want to escape,” says caro♡ of the lucid dream listen, which feels like a door into the French act’s imagination.

YOE MASE – YOU DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE…

We Are: The Guard favorite Yoe Mase continues to build up to An Unfiltered Stream of Consciousness by sharing “You Don’t Know Who You Are...” It begins life as a beautiful piano ballad that hears Yoe exploring the deeper reaches of his mind, before flickering synths gradually enter, taking the New York City producer to vivid heights. Gorgeous.

SABA – SO AND SO

This is the definition of a vibe. He recently duetted with Denzel Curry on “Something in the Water,” and this month, Saba continues his ascent with “So and So.” Clocking in at two minutes, it’s the kind of easygoing bop best listened to sometime after midnight, with Saba rapping about overcoming adversity atop a trap beat created by Flex Lennon.

SAMIA & BRISTON MARONEY – IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE MOVIES? (BRISTON MARONEY VERSION)

Just one week on from sharing Anjimile’s reinvention of her song “Waverly,” New York City’s Samia returns this Friday with another cover courtesy of Briston Maroney. Listen as the Knoxville act puts a hushed spin on Samia’s ode to Hollywood disillusionment, with Briston bringing a kind of shattering catharsis to the song atop a candlelit acoustic.

MELPO MENE – ONCE HAD IT ALL

Melpo Mene turns his existential angst into beautiful art on “Once Had It All.” “You who once had it all, an idea of right and wrong, a shiny unobtainable dream, a paralyzing fear of death, ambition and hopes to be adored by society, now you have nothing,” says the Swede of the lush cut, with gorgeous strings surrounding his metaphysical musings.

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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.