BEST CHILL MUSIC - WEEK 30

Happy Fri-yay! The weekend is almost upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by checking in with the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Music? The forecast says that it's going to be a hot, hot, hot one, but the tunes that the team and I have compiled in this column are sure to see you through the next couple of days in chill style! Just grab the coldest beverage that you can find (I'll take a Tie-Dye Frappuccino! Thanks!) and enjoy the following songs Skrillex, Bazzi, Poppy, and more!

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SKRILLEX (FEAT. BEAM) – MUMBAI POWER

Can you hear that sound? That, my friend, is the sound of amateur EDM producers everywhere losing their shizz at finally being able to get an inside look at Skrillex's Ableton projects! Jokes aside, the OWSLA beatmaker is delivering another ethereal, otherworldly banger in the form of “Mumbai Power.” That bass drop is taking me to some higher place from which I don't ever want to come down!

BAZZI – I.F.L.Y.

Have we decided on the song of the summer yet? Because we may have a last-minute winning entry here from Canton's Bazzi! Over easy, breezy acoustic guitars and a tropical island-esque beat, listen as the 21-year-old crooner pays tribute to a summer lover on “I.F.L.Y.” (“I Fucking Love You”), which comes paired with a video that's giving me some serious “Hotline Bling” vibes!

POPPY – MAKE IT HAPPEN

I never thought that I'd see the day when Poppy would be making an appearance in this column, but, here we are! To accompany the release of her recent graphic novel Genesis 1, the YouTube sensation has shared I C U (Music to Read To), a seven-song ambient collection as headed by “Make It Happen.” It's a dark, atmospheric composition, with the instrumental boasting the kind of synthwave build that wouldn't sound out of place in Stranger Things or Blade Runner (RIP Rutger Hauer!).

LOVE MANSUY – MINE

Something tells me that a whole lot of babies are going to be made to this song, if you catch my drift. Love Mansuy, who's perhaps best known for his appearance on Cabu's “Crazy,” is pouring all of the sensual energy into “Mine,” an alluringly intoxicating R&B ballad about love, obsession, and possession that comes headed by the rising crooner's soulful vocals. “I still believe that it is alright to claim somebody that you care about as your own,” writes Love. “I mean, it is instinct to protect.”

FREEDOM FRY – PAPERBACK WRITER (THE BEATLES COVER)

Freedom Fry continue their trend of delivering beautifully disarming covers with this take on “Paperback Writer” by some band called...The Beatles? Listen as the husband-and-wife duo (I want to be in a band with my husband!) put their own delicately folky spin on the Paul McCartney-penned classic, with Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll placing their pitch-perfect harmonies on full display.

EMOTIONAL ORANGES – DON'T BE LAZY

Well, well, well, isn't this effing sexy? One week on from sharing their “rejuiced” version of “Someone Else,” Emotional Oranges return with “Don't Be Lazy.” Crank up the AC, as something tells me that this freshly squeezed OJ is going to get you hot, hot, hot under the collar, with the R&B duo singing about, *cough*, orally satisfying a lover against a backdrop of bedroom-pop. Delicious.

MAJID JORDAN (FEAT. KHALID) – CAUGHT UP

I can't speak on the hot sauce that they consume in this video, but one thing is for certain, this tune from Majid Jordan and Khalid is flames! Seriously, how did we exist for so long without this collaboration in our lives? It's the definition of a vibe, with Majid Al Maskati and Khalid riding Jordan Ullman's late-night downtempo beat with ease. *Fire emojis*

EASTERN ODYSSEY & LUCIAN – SUPERNOVA

Eastern Odyssey and Lucian? It doesn't get much better than this, let me tell you. No, really, if you were to look up the definition of “bliss” in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure that you'd find this song. With melodic synth layers and textures meeting ecstatic female vocal chops, “Supernova” is music for losing yourself to, with the song revealing something new with every listen.

CAROLINE POLACHEK – PARACHUTE

Caroline Polachek doesn't make music. Caroline Polachek makes poetry. The former Charlifit frontwoman follows up “Door” with the Danny L Harle-produced “Parachute.” Written about “the total trust that only comes with total emergency,” it's a toweringly operatic ballad, with Caroline's classically trained soprano reaching dazzling new heights.

LAUREN FAITH – JHEEZE

I'm a simple woman. I see KAYTRANADA, I click. It's not Louis Kevin Celestin's groovy production, however, but London singer-songwriter Lauren Faith's smooth vocal presence that won me over on “Jheeze,” an R&B-meets-soul slow jam that has just the right amount of funky vibes to keep you dancing from Friday night until Monday morning.

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Until next weekend, follow We Are: The Guard's Weekly Chart for more! x

Photo by Looie Kang 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.