TOP CHILL SONGS - WEEK 11

The world is gripped in coronavirus-induced panic at the moment. While some may argue the hysteria is uncalled for (hi Elon), there's no doubt tensions are running high right now. I'd be lying if I said my anxiety wasn't triggered by the whole situation (and by “situation,” I obviously mean not knowing which quarantine zone my next roll of toilet paper is coming from), which is why the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Top Chill Songs couldn't come soon enough. These chill-ass tunes are exactly what I need to temporarily clear my mind of everything “COVID-19,” and I hope they help you to feel a little less stressed-out too! Check out the following tracks from Four Tet, Flume, Jessie Reyez, and more!

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FOUR TET – 4T RECORDINGS

Listening to Four Tet is like diving into a different world completely. A world with no wars, no injustice, and yes, no coronavirus. Following on from the release of “Teenage Birdsong” and “Baby,” Keiran Hebden is delivering another exceptionally pretty cut in the form of “4T Recordings” – a warm, chirrup-laced mood piece that shimmers like the early morning sun.

FLUME (FEAT. TORO Y MOI) – THE DIFFERENCE

If we're going to be spending the next few weeks staring into the void, well, we might as well do it to the sounds of Flume and Toro y Moi, right? “The Difference” is an existential banger about the search for meaning in our increasingly inhabitable world, with Flume and Toro taking thoughts of impending doom and turning them into a euphoric, joyful rhapsody.

JESSIE REYEZ – ANKLES

Nobody does raw quite like Jessie Reyez. The Canadian act is the definition of pure, unadulterated soul, with Jessie laying it bare once again on “ANKLES.” “Lights out, strike out, I doubt/You'll ever find anyone/These bitches can't measure up/To my ankles,” rasps the 28-year-old in the chorus, her pain spilling out over the light trap beats for us all to feel.

PLUKO – THE LOVELY ONE

The song title says it all, really. Pluko is bringing the charm and then some on his latest single “the lovely one.” With glitchy synths and pounding drums leading to a bass drop that feels like the audio equivalent of bursting a big bubble of emotion with a sewing pin, “the lovely one” is a delightful listen that totally finds Pluko stepping outside of his comfort zone.

CHET PORTER (FEAT. ALISON WONDERLAND) – BUMMED

Chet Porter and Alison Wonderland? This is the kind of collaboration I live for. The Canadian and Australian are making me feel sad, happy, and every emotion in between on “Bummed” – a psychedelic, indie-driven banger about depression in the digital age that hears Chet and Alison trading delirious, intoxicating vocal duties over a nonstop drumbeat.

RAC (FEAT. PHIL GOOD) – STUCK ON YOU

There's no shortage of songs about getting over a lover, but RAC is still managing to shed new light on the topic on “Stuck on You.” The first single to be unveiled from the forthcoming BOY is a softly sweet chiller about trying and failing to move on from an ex, with feature artist Phil Good delivering a relatably resigned topline over RAC's floaty beats.

AQUILO – SOBER

It's been a long time coming (okay, two years to be precise), but Aquilo are finally returning with “Sober.” It's a stunningly moving piano meditation written in the wake of a breakup – specifically about that moment when you slowly start to emerge from the hangover of a relationship – with the British duo sounding as gorgeous as ever over the tender beatwork.

PANTHA DU PRINCE – THE CROWN TERRITORY

What does it sound like when trees communicate? It's this very question Pantha Du Prince found himself asking when writing his latest single “The Crown Territory.” Featured on the recent Conference of Trees, it's a lush, tranquil study of interforest discourse, with wind chimes clinking and clonking alongside ambient beats for a brush with nature like no other.

ELIZA EDENS – DAYS, NIGHTS

Philly's Eliza Edens has completely pulled me in with “Days, Nights.” Featured on the forthcoming Time Away From Time, it's a dexterously crafted folk song about nostalgia and memory, with frenetic fingerpicking evoking the unstoppable passing of time, while Eliza's languorous, stretched vowels remind us of the importance of stopping to take stock of it all.

KIASMOS – BLURRED

Concluding with a chill classic of sorts from Kiasmos, the ambient duo comprising of Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen. Featured on their 2017 EP of the same name, “Blurred” is an emotionally enriching mix of electronic and symphonic elements, with ascending chords entwining with plucky strings for a piece that stimulates, but never overwhelms the senses.

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Photo by Jose de la Cruz 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.