BEST CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 9

Happy March! Okay, so, the vernal equinox is still technically over two weeks away, but let's face it, today basically marks the de facto start of spring for most of us. And while the weather hasn't *quite* caught up with the season change yet, there's definitely a shift happening in the air. If you're looking for some laid-back sounds to while away the warmer days ahead, then, look no further than this week's edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Music. Featuring Manila Killa, San Holo, Summer Walker, Petit Biscuit, Kygo, and more, this playlist has something for everyone!

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MANILA KILLA (FEAT. OUTSIDEOUTSIDE) – SKIN

This is too dreamy for words. Then again, I'm not sure why I expected any less from Manila Killa and outsideOUTSIDE. The Washington, D.C. producer and emo-pop outfit are a match made in heaven on “Skin,” a song that managed to transport me to a whole other universe with its blend of sparkly glockenspiels and otherworldly boy-girl vocal harmonies.

SAN HOLO – LEAD ME BACK

Can San Holo do any wrong?! No, no he can't. The Dutch producer never fails to get me in my feelings and he's doing it all over again with his latest single “Lead Me Back,” a soaringly tender acoustic rendering of his digital-pop vision that San Holo describes as his most personal song to date. Listen and fall in love.

BENNY MAYNE – UGLY

benny mayne battles with his inner demons on “ugly.” The Toronto R&B act isn't holding back on the heart-wrenching confessional, which hears benny aiming straight for the chest as he sings with his angelic falsetto: “I leave these bitches with their heart broke/Ain't no telling how far I go/Drugs and liquor fill up my soul/No wonder why I'm ugly with your eyes closed.”

VRAELL – GRAIN

Winter may be drawing to a conclusion, but Vraell is seeing it out in briskly beautiful style on “Grain.” The follow-up to his debut single “Fall” hears the Leeds troubadour continuing to trade in frost-flecked folktronica, with Vraell's voice moving through the vast expanse like a mountainous wind.

SUMMER WALKER (FEAT. DRAKE) – GIRLS NEED LOVE (REMIX)

Stop everything as Drake is back with his first verse of 2019, and let me tell you, it's hot, hot, hot stuff. Listen as Champagne Papi kicks off his year by jumping on Summer Walker's breakthrough single, the female sexual empowerment anthem “Girls Need Love,” with the Scorpion rapper cranking up the temperature as he croons: “Arched back, deep stroke, white wine, weed smoke, that's my best combination/You just need some dick with no complications.”

EMOTIONAL ORANGES – CORNERS OF MY MIND

Emotional Oranges always manage to bring something different to the table with every release, with the Los Angeles outfit showcasing a more somber side to their R&B sound on their brand new single “Corners of My Mind.” Written after watching a close friend go through a particularly painful breakup, it's a melancholy yet oddly cathartic listen that's sure to help heal the last of your Valentine's Day wounds.

JAI WOLF (FEAT. DAY WAVE) – YOUR WAY

Coinciding with the announcement that he's set to release his album The Cure to Loneliness in April, Jai Wolf has shared “Your Way.” The song hears the “Indian Summer” producer moving even further towards the indie genre, with jangly guitars providing a backdrop for Jackson Phillips, aka Day Wave, to deliver his dreamy vocals. There's plenty of synth pyrotechnics, too, with the track actually forgoing a chorus in favor of a shimmering, anthemic drop that's going to be everywhere this festival season.

PETIT BISCUIT – WIDE AWAKE

Petit Biscuit goes in search of reality in our increasingly digital world on his filmic latest single. The French future-bass producer reveals that he wrote “Wide Awake” after a month-long break from social media, with the 19-year-old juxtaposing lush organic textures with more dark electronic elements in order to bring to life his soaringly cinematic vision.

KYGO (FEAT. VALERIE BROUSSARD) – THINK ABOUT YOU

Can we start talking about the song of the summer yet?! Because I believe that we *may* have a contender here in the form of “Think About You” by Norway's Kygo. The soulful Valerie Broussard-featuring track is basically ticking all of the boxes needed for a festival season hit, right down to the official video starring Dylan Sprouse, who's channeling some serious Leonardo DiCaprio circa Romeo + Juliet vibes in this Sarah Bahbah-directed clip.

ATTOM – DOES IT EVEN MATTER?

Closing out with this soothing instrumental from Attom. We all need to escape from the reality around us every once in a while. The Duluth producer is allowing us to do exactly that with this final cut from his recent EP Follow Me, which hears Attom weaving together a world of peaceful tranquility that you can dive into at any given moment.

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Photo by ian dooley 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.