BEST CHILL SONGS – WEEK 40

Hi friends. Is it me, or is it really beginning to feel like fall now? The leaves are turning to a golden crisp, the dark, misty nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping to “oversized sweater degrees Farenheit.” You may also start to notice a change in your music tastes, which is where Best Chill Songs come in. The following tracks are packed full of wistful introspection, something that we all seem to desire this time of year, so grab your Pumpkin Spice Lattes and get ready to indulge in everything autumn this Friday with SLO, Mark Johns, ECHOS, Tülpa, Kan Wakan and more.

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SLO (FEAT. BEARCUBS) – ATONE

London singer-songwriter Jess Mills aka SLO has the voice an angel. “Atone,” from her second EP of the same name, has an almost hymn-like quality. Listen as producer Bearcubs provides just the right amount of electronic flourishes without taking from the purity and soul at the heart of SLO's vocal performance, which borders on transcendence. *Insert prayer hands emoji here*

LES GORDON – SHIHO & KYOKO

Just because a song is chill, doesn't mean that it can't make you dance . “Shiho & Kyoko” by French producer and Kitsuné signee Les Gordon is evidence of this fact. Anchored by a repetitive chiming melody and deftly weaving electronic and acoustic samples, the Abyss EP cut is an infectious masterpiece that comes paired with a video of a dude cutting shapes like no one is watching.

MARK JOHNS – BEFORE YOU

Ahead of the release of her debut EP Molino on October 28, Mark Johns – the songstress (that's right, she's a girl) signed to Skrillex's label OWSLA – has shared “Before You.” Produced by the ever-on-point Jerry Folk, the track is a shimmeringly melancholic slice of electronic pop that's sure to win you over with this chilled out video of Mark and friends exploring the sun-kissed streets of Los Angeles.

ECHOS – TAKE

Portland duo ECHOS make the most spellbindingly beautiful music. Case in point: “Take,” as featured on their forthcoming self-titled debut EP. Pairing a crystalline electronic pop production with poetic lyrics born from heartache (“If I saw you I would suffocate/My words would just evaporate/And I would run into a dark room/So very far away from you”), “Take” is a song that'll stay with you long after listening.

TÜLPA (FEAT. BLANKTS) – GNATS

18-year-old producer Tülpa teams up with his long-time collaborator (and girlfriend) BLANKTS once again this October for “Gnats.” Penned after his recent move to Los Angeles, the track is described by Tülpa as being about the loneliness that comes from living in a  city – a sentiment brought to life by both the plaintive beat and BLANKTS' sparkling vocal delivery. An essential addition to any fall playlist.

KAN WAKAN – I WOULD

Once in a while, a song comes along that completely stops you in your tracks. For me, “I Would” by Kan Wakan – the Bulgarian producer who was most recently behind the ethereal “Lonely World” by Moses Sumney – is one of those songs. Featuring Elle Olsun on vocal duties, “I Would” is an oh-so-alluring slow-burn that brings together various genres – electronica, soul, folk and more – into a truly potent, intoxicating blend that renders you utterly mesmerized. And I haven't even mentioned the closing guitar solo...

SLAUGHTER BEACH – THE MO

Slaughter Beach, the Danish trio who BitCandy recently dubbed “the next Tame Impala,” return this October with “The Mo.” Featured on their forthcoming EP Heroic Dose, it's just under four minutes of lysergic-laced psychedelic pop that showcases Nikolaj Westi, Mads Emil Aagaard and Hasse Mydtskov's penchant for kaleidoscopic guitar lines and dream-inducing vocals melodies. Tune in and drop out.

THE SHACKS – ORCHIDS

The Shacks refer back to both the 60s and the 90s – music's two best decades, surely? – on their latest single “Orchids.” A lo-fi, organ-laced swirl that hears frontwoman Shannon Wise channel Jane Birkin as much as she does Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval with her whispered vocal stylings, you can find the track on the New York City duo's self-titled debut EP, due out on October 28 via Big Crown Records.

POST PINES – MOON – CURATOR BECA ARREDONDO

Rising Swedish duo Post Pines could move mountains with their atmospheric, expansive post-rock-meets-ambient soundcapes. Bringing together soaring vocals and brooding production, their latest single “Moon” is nothing short of earth-shattering. “'Moon' is for us plain reminiscing really,” explain Post Pines. “Trying to both remember and forget who you once where, and not just in a lyrical sense but as a whole, arrangement and instrumentation.” For fans of: Sigur Rós, Explosions In The Sky.

FRANÇOIS SVALIS – QILIN

Concluding this week with some expertly produced sounds coming to us all the way from the Czech Republic. The intricate beats and metropolitan atmospherics of Olomouc native François Svalis aren't to be missed. Best listened to after midnight while driving through the city, his latest composition “Qilin” is an ambient banger that sends a surge of electricity though the veins. Make use of that repeat button.

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Thanks for listening friends. Until next Friday. x

“Photo” by Anita Peeples 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.