TOP CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 49

Season's greetings, readers! How are your Christmas preparations going, or is it best that we don't ask? Got it! We Are: The Guard appreciates that the holiday season can be a pretty damn stressful time for a whole lot of people – us included – which is why we're pleased to be presenting yet another edition of Top Chill Music this Friday. Whatever your plans are over the weekend – be it heading to the mall to start on your gift shopping, or staying at home to put up your decorations (but only getting as far as taking a selfie with your tree lights) – we hope that the following songs from Jadu Heart & Mura Masa, VESCE, Aisha Badru, The Masks, Tom Taped, and more help you to survive the festivities!

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JADU HEART & MURA MASA – U NEVER CALL ME

It hasn't even been five months since he released his self-tiled debut album, but already English producer Mura Masa is delivering yet more vibes this December with “U Never Call Me.” A collaboration with Anchor Point labelmate Jadu Heart, it's an aching, pillowy dancehall groove made for late nights with your lover, with Masa and Heart's voices all but melting into each other come the sensuous chorus.

VESCE – ZENDER

Meet VESCE, the London duo comprising of Rafael Powell and Dan Jenkins, who are delivering post-dubstep with soul on the latest single to be unveiled from their recent debut EP Self-Edit. With cascading piano melodies meeting hip hop-indebted beats and other instrumental and vocal samples, “Zender” melds the organic and the electronic into a four-minute ambient symphony that we invite you to get lost in.

STILL PARADE – SHOULD HAVE KNOWN

Still Parade is sweeping us up in a haze of dream pop on his latest single. The first taste from the Berlin singer-songwriter's forthcoming EP Kindness – which Still Parade recorded in just five days in August – “Should Have Known” is a dazzling piece of music, with golden waves of reverb-drenched vocals and 80s-indebted synthesizers crashing over the listener, washing away their cares and worries.

AISHA BADRU – BRIDGES

“Bridges” by Aisha Badru is one of the more accurate depictions of being in a committed relationship that We Are: The Guard has ever come across, and we're pleased to say that this sentiment carries through into the song's video. Directed by Nathan Presley, the visual focuses on a young couple who we get to see quite literally battling their demons – which appear in the form of an army of doppelgängers – with the video bringing home that same message that true love is always worth fighting for.

MILD JOY – BLURR

Hailing from Cairns, Australia, Mild Joy are living up to their name on their debut single. Sounding like a more chilled out Major Lazer, with lead singer Greta Stanley's lighter-than-air vocal melodies coming set against producer Tristan Barton's shapeshifting spread of glitches and effects, “Blurr” is a dexterously crafted, exhilarating electronic pop experience.

THE MASKS – MADE TO LOVE YOU

The ever-enigmatic The Masks return after an extended radio silence this month with “Made to Love You.” Clocking in at just over two minutes, it's a darkly alluring ballad from the London electronic R&B duo comprising of LaVeré and Bobby (still no second names provided), with their elegant, intimate vocal melodies draping like crushed velvet over a beguiling bassline that really helps to bring out the song's sexual tension.

TOM TAPED – I NOTICE U

Having debuted on the blogosphere five months ago with “Felice,” Tom Taped continues to refine his euphoric breed of electronic pop this December with “I Notice U.” Even though the Stockholm producer fails to credit the female singer contributing vocals to the song, she nevertheless remains a perfect accompaniment to the neon-drenched bassweight of “I Notice U,” with Taped once again showcasing his outstanding ear for his craft.

CARA SALIMANDO – NOTHING'S GONNA HURT YOU BABY (CIGARETTES AFTER SEX COVER)

In October, We Are: The Guard had the honor of bringing you Cara Salimando's reverb-soaked cover of Cigarettes After Sex's “Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby,” and this month, we're pleased to present the video. Shot in Salimando's garage, it's a titillating black-and-white portrayal of two silhouetted individuals going about their every day lives, with the almost voyeuristic nature of the visual adding to the overall allure of the song.

EST-HER – LAST MINUTE WEDDING

Toronto artist Est-Her makes quite the entrance with his dramatic latest single “Last Minute Wedding.” The former ballet dancer showcases his love for everything grandiose on the song – which follows up his equally opulent debut single “Sympathy” – with Est-her unleashing a resplendent vocal performance packed full of emotion and ambition over a cinematic dream pop cascade courtesy of French producer Porter Elvinger.

SLATERS (FEAT. TOULOUSE) – DANGER

Comprising of Alex Craig and Al Carlson, New York City producers Slaters are getting their groove on to their debut single “Danger.” A collaboration with We Are: The Guard favorite TOULOUSE, this certified electronic soul bop is coming to us by way of Terrible Records, with Slaters – who recently worked alongside both VÉRITÉ and Superfruit – laying down an effortlessly funky instrumental, over which TOULOUSE is able to work his vocal magic.

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Enjoy your weekend, readers! x

Photo by Element5 Digital 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.