TOP CHILL SONGS – WEEK 41

If you need an escape from the politics this Friday, then you're in the right place. As important as the upcoming election is, there's only so much of Donald Trump's verbal diarrhoea that a person can stomach! Which is where BitCandy's Top Chill Songs come in. For the next 30 minutes or so, press pause on the world around you and instead treat yourself to some much-deserved musical therapy. No gossip, no drama, no bullshit. Just you, your headphones and the latest tracks from Francis And The Lights, BASECAMP, XYLØ and more!

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FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS – FRIENDS – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

New York City crooner Francis Farwell Starlite, who records under the name Francis And The Lights, calls on some of his famous pals for his latest single, the aptly titled “Friends.” Bon Iver and Kanye West contribute vocals, while Rostam Bantmanglij, Ariel Rechtshaid, Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat lend their production skills to the glimmering, thoughtful synth pop gem, which was originally sampled on Chance The Rapper's “Summer Friends.”

BASECAMP – IN STONE

This. Is. Art. Ahead of the release of their In Stone EP on October 21st, BASECAMP – the Nashville electronic pop trio signed to Skrillex's record label OWSLA – have shared the video for the brooding title track. Directed by Dylan Reyes and shot in Iceland, the cinematic visual follows a girl as she ventures across a desolate, mountainous landscape, her journey haunted by dark, mysterious forces. I repeat: This. Is. Art.

BON IVER – 29 #STRAFFORD APTS

14 days after its release, and I'm still getting my head around the beautiful weirdness that is Bon Iver's 22, A Million, but if you pushed me for a favorite song, then I'd probably say “#29 Strafford APTS.” A sweeping acoustic ballad that provides an alien-like spin on Justin Vernon's more traditional breed of folk and Americana, it comes paired with a video that sees the track's inscrutable lyrics splayed out across Illuminati-esque imagery.

RITUAL (FEAT. MONONOKE) – BOTTLE TOPS – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

RITUAL make music for the small hours. Cloaked in a dark sensuality and tragedy, the London trio team up with Mononoke to deliver yet another essential addition to any post-midnight playlist with “Bottle Tops.” Featured on their forthcoming EP Every Night Another But Not You, the song is a late-night electronic R&B lullaby about drinking the pain away: “Bottle tops are enough to fill my pocket/So I've still got time for one more before we go.”

XYLØ – DEAD END LOVE

BitCandy has been all XYLØ since day one, but still they continue to stagger us with every release. On their latest single “Dead End Love,” we get to hear the brother-sister duo experiment with a more edgier sound. Featuring Paige Duddy's vocals brooding atop a gritty, almost industrial beat, this ode to doomed romance would suggest that dark pop domination is only around the corner for XYLØ.

NILÜFER YANYA – KEEP ON CALLING – CURATOR ROBERT DUFFY

She had me at hello with her debut single “Small Crimes” in September, and this month, 21-year-old London singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya returns to do it all over again with “Keep On Calling.” Opening with her distinctive, soul-laced vocals set against a melancholic acoustic guitar, before giving way to a more infectious, beat-driven chorus, “Keep On Calling” is a song that demands repeat listens.

LAUV – BREATHE

Pass the tissues as rising Los Angeles R&B crooner Lauv is making me feel all of the feels with his gut-wrenching latest single “Breathe.” The follow-up to the Travis Mills-featuring “Question,” the song is a towering power ballad that finds Lauv calling time on a relationship: “You're my all and more/All I know you taught me/You're my all and more/But I need room to breathe.” Gulp.

COMPUTER MAGIC – DIMENSIONS (KMLKMLJKL REMIX)

Vaporwave isn't dead. Dutch producer kmlkmljkl revives the Internet's favorite genre in all of its trippy glory for this remix of Computer Magic's electronic pop banger “Dimensions.” Featuring Computer Magic's pitched-down vocals submerged beneath layers upon layers of strung-out synths, kmlkmljkl renders “Dimensions” all but unrecognizable with his wavy vibes. Tune in and drop out.

HOME-SICK (FEAT. KNOX FORTUNE) – YOUR BODY

There isn't any information out there on Chicago artist Home-Sick, but it doesn't matter. His debut single, “Your Body,” featuring Chance The Rapper collaborator Knox Fortune, is a song that speaks for itself. Bringing together hip hop, electronic and indie influences, “Your Body” is a beautiful Frankenstein of a piece that hears Home-Sick lull listeners into a state of bliss with soporific rap-singing and cacophonous production. On repeat.

RIP SWIRL – SMERK – CURATOR BECA ARREDONDO

It's been a minute since Luka last appeared in this column, but the BitCandy favorite makes a surprise return this October in the form of RIP SWIRL. “New tune, different name,” writes the Berlin producer of the first instrumental to be shared under his latest moniker – an ambient moodpiece marked by dystopian synths and propulsive percussion entitled “Smerk.” Check it out.

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Thanks for listening! Until next Friday, stay chill! x

“Photo” by Richard Pouncy Jr. is licensed under CC0 1.0 (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.