THE BEST CHILL MUSIC IN THE WORLD THIS WEEK

by Jess Grant

11/19/21

Happy Friday, everyone! Since I was away on vacation last week, I had a fortnights' worth of music to listen through today. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to get this column down to 10 songs and 10 songs only, but with lots of determination and even more caramel brulée latte, I finally managed to do it. With the madness of Thanksgiving just around the corner, then, enjoy one final quiet moment to yourself with the latest edition of We Are: The Guard's Best Chill Music, featuring Amber Mark, Clams Casino, Emmit Fenn & Shallou, and plenty of others!

AMBER MARK – SOFTLY

Cuffing Season is finally upon us, and We Are: The Guard favorite Amber Mark is helping us to celebrate the soft launches currently taking place across Instagram with her latest single "Softly." Produced by Julian Bunetta, "Softly" is a sultry transmission that hears Amber demanding that a lover treat her right atop a tropical-tinged beat. "You got to love me sweetly/Ooh, boy, you've got to please me/Softly, squeeze me," croons Amber on the cut, which samples Craig David's noughties classic "Rendezvous."

CLAMS CASINO – WATER THEME 2

He recently teamed up with A$AP Rocky on "Sandman" to celebrate LIVE.LOVE.A$AP turning 10 years old, and today, Clams Casino's Michael Volpe is returning the focus to his original music with "Water Theme 2." The first single to be taken from his brand new EP Winter Flower, "Water Theme 2" is a calming, mediative arena of zen. With androgynous vocals cresting atop echoing percussion and crashing ocean waves, "Water Theme 2" is dedicated to everyone searching for sanctuary this weekend.

EMMIT FENN & SHALLOU – HOLLOW

In 2019, Emmit Fenn and Shallou teamed up for "All Your Days" – a song that's since gone on to clock up over 24 million streams on Spotify alone – and this Friday, both artists are coming together once again for the glacial "Hollow." Clocking in at around four minutes, "Hollow" very much picks up where "All Your Days" left off. Opening with Shallou and Emmit asking us to "follow the frozen land," before arpeggios form like twinkling crystals around them, "Hollow" is a winter hymn for dreamers everywhere.

MINDCHATTER – INCH OFF THE EARTH

Just a few days on from performing a sold-out homecoming show at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, Mindchatter's Bryce Connolly is making his return to our column today with "Inch Off the Earth." The follow-up to "Answer Me" finds the We Are: The Guard favorite continuing to produce music that can both quieten the mind and move the body. With siren-like synths intertwining with ping-pong basslines, all the while Bryce sings about floating through the ether, "Inch Off the Earth" is the definition of a chill bop.

BENJI LEWIS – UNWIND

The cold days and dark nights of winter are unfortunately starting to take hold throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but in Australia, summer is coming. Melbourne's Benji Lewis is celebrating that fact on his radiant, dappling latest single "Unwind." "'Unwind' is a song about hope and freedom. It's about moving on to better things, knowing there are brighter days ahead, living in the moment and just letting it all go," says Benji of "Unwind," which sinks into the skin like a perfect golden sunset. Enjoy!

FANA HUES – PIECES

Having caught the world's attention on Tyler, the Creator's "SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE," Fana Hues is continuing to claim her place in the spotlight this Friday with the lush "Pieces." "'Pieces’ is about a fragmented relationship and seeing the light and dark in someone," says Fana. "You can find yourself at a crossroads sometimes, and question whether you should stay or go." With her vocal melting like liquid gold over jazzy beats, "Pieces" is a sensual search for clarity in a relationship.

DUSKUS – CALL ME

Dusks is quite frankly a master at taking big, complex emotions and transforming them into soaring, danceable bangers. This much was evident on "Hard Times" and "Holding U," and today, the London producer and singer-songwriter is doing it all over again on "Call Me." Coming to us via bitbird – home to We Are: The Guard favorites such as San Holo and Zes – "Call Me" is a tribute to friendship and being there for someone through thick and thin, with Duskus' kind heart coming supported by euphoric house beats.

MEHRO – GREEN FELT

It was only a few months ago that he was teaming up with Calm to deliver remixes of his songs "lightning," "perfume," and "howling," but mehro is already back to soothe our souls today with "green felt." According to mehro, "green felt" came about during a "dark, judgmental phase" of his life. "Writing this helped me alchemically let go of criticizing others, and it made me realize that we are one and the same," adds mehro of the cut, a lo-fi acoustic delicacy akin to Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens.

MONTELL FISH – FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU

For the last couple of years or so, Montell Fish has been overtaking TikTok with his filmic blend of poetry and musical creations, and this Friday, he's making his debut on We Are: The Guard with "Fall in Love With You." Built upon a strummed guitar, "Fall in Love With You" is a devastatingly intimate lament for a lost love. "Maybe it couldn't work out/In the end/Maybe this what I deserve now/Better off as friends," sings Montell at one point, his voice immersing us in his crushing cinematic universe.

LYDIA KENNIE – ALL FALLS DOWN

Lydia Kennie recently picked up the pace a little on "Alone," but today, the New York City musician is retreating back into her emotions on her latest single "All Falls Down." With a runtime of three minutes, "All Falls Down" finds Lydia standing amid the ship wreckage of a relationship. "Oh my love/The roof is caving in/And the waters rising up," sings Lydia in the opening verse, her voice softly, gently floating in an ocean of acoustics. "Oh it's here/It's all I didn't know/And it's everything I've feared."

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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.

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