BEST CHILL SONGS - WEEK 7

It's Friday, which can only mean one thing: It's time for the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Songs. That's right: It's here that we gather on a weekly basis to enjoy some much-needed musical sanctuary ahead of the long-awaited weekend. If you're feeling a little sore after getting rejected by your Valentine, then (I feel your pain!), let me help to heal your heartbreak with the following chill tracks from Cuco & Dillon Francis, RY X, Son Lux, SOAK, Toro y Moi, and even more.

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SHY GIRLS – LAY AND BE LONELY

There can be something deeply peaceful about solitude, and it's that which Shy Girls embraces on his brand new single. With Dan Vidmar's soulfully chipper vox coming wrapped up in warm blankets of retrodelic electronic piano, it's a tranquil meditation for a quiet mind that reminds us that “alone” doesn't necessarily have to equal “lonely.”

CUCO & DILLON FRANCIS – FIX ME

Cuco lives up to his lovesick status and then some on the dreamily shivering “Fix Me.” The collaboration with EDM kingpin Dillon Francis hears Cuco pleading with a girl to stick him back together again, with the Hawthorne heartthrob sounding every inch the hopeless romantic as he code-switches between English and Spanish over Dillon's expansive trap production.

AARON TAOS – COMMUNICATION

They say that the key to a long-term relationship is compromise, but in order to compromise, you first need communication, and it's that which Aaron Taos focuses on throughout his brand new single. “But if we're gonna work this out please/We need communication,” sings the New York City artist on the vibey-as-hell “Communication,” which, musically, also plays on the theme of emotional distance, with Aaron sounding like he's transmitting to us from the depths of ocean floor.

RY X – FOREIGN TIDES

Coinciding with the release of his sophomore album Unfurl, RY X has shared the video for “Foreign Tides.” Shot within the Roman ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon, it's a soaringly expansive piece of film that stands in direct contrast to Ry Cuming's intimate, hymn-like sound, resulting in a deeply alluring audiovisual experience that you'll want to get lost in for days.

JOSH PAN – UNDEFEATED

OWSLA signee josh pan hints at brighter days ahead on his playful latest single. “Listen/The sun is in the sky and I/Glisten/There's gold in my mind,” croons the New York City singer-songwriter and producer on the world within EP cut “Undefeated,” a top-tappingly joyous slice of spring that comes accompanied by a video that most definitely trigged my ophidiophobia.

SON LUX – SLEEP

Ahead of the release of Remnants, a collection of rare and previously unreleased recordings made between 2008 and 2017, in April, Son Lux have shared “Sleep.” Clocking in at just under five minutes, it's a chilling piece of experimentalist bombast that, far from sending you to the land of Nod, will actually bolt you upright out of bed, with haunting pianos and other symphonics backing Son Lux as they repeat: “Wake me up, I'm still alive.”

SOAK – VALENTINE SHMALENTINE

Valentine's Day may be over for yet another year, but the heartbreak lingers on for many of us. Irish pocket-rocket Bridie Monds-Watson, aka SOAK, is providing us with the ultimate antidote to our pain, however, in the form of “Valentine Shmalentine,” a dreamily starry-eyed ballad that hears a lovesick (or sick-of-love?!) SOAK asking: “In an endless scroll, red heart shapes speed by/If a good deed doesn't earn a post on the Internet/Is it selflessly meant?”

JSPH – GOOD THINGS

They say that good things come to those who wait, and it seems like that's most definitely going to be the case for Cincinnati's JSPH, who, three years on from “Breathe,” is setting his sights on major success once again this 2019 with his latest single. With JSPH's warm vocals melting like butter over a backdrop of bouncy bass throbs, “Good Things” is the kind of song that goes down smooth with everyone and anyone who listens.

TORO Y MOI – BABY DRIVE IT DOWN

Chillwave auteur Toro y Moi is turning up the summer vibes on the latest single to be lifted from his recent sixth album Outer Peace. With dancehall beats meeting mallet instruments à la Steve Reich circa Music for 18 Musicians, “Baby Drive It Down for Me” is three-minutes of tropical-house perfection that's helping me to get through this final stretch of winter.

QUIN & 6LACK – MUSHROOM CHOCOLATE

Dim the lights, as rumored couple QUIN and 6LACK are setting the mood on their collaborative single “Mushroom Chocolate” (best song title ever?!). Listen as the R&B duo showcase a serious amount of sexual chemistry as they sing “Ooh, you be lookin' so good/I be keepin' my cool, I be actin' brand new with you” on the Chuck Inglish-produced track, which makes for an essential addition to your bedroom playlists *wink*.

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Until next Friday, why not follow We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Daily! on Spotify for even more?! x

Photo by Analise Benevides 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.