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Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our current obsessions, including 5 Songs to Hear This Week, Bent By Nature: Deirdre O'Donoghue and The Lost SNAP Archives (The Music), and our weekly sampler of KCRW’s Top 30 most played records.
Brian Eno – “We Let It In”
And on the 14 October, there shone a beam of light through blackened skies… a brand new album from Brian Eno. The groundbreaking artist recently dropped his first solo album in five years, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE, and this track serves as an invitation to a world free from chaos. Click play to escape into Eno’s signature synth work woven through ephemeral samples, bone-rattling bass, and allegorical lyrics sung by the artist and his daughter Darla.
John Cale – “Story of Blood (Feat. Weyes Blood)”
What year is it, anyway? We love when new music transports us simultaneously to the distant future and the ancient past. This richly-layered track from Velvet Underground co-founder Cale puts electronic tropes to work over a commanding, ceremonial beat. Think: Liturgy in deep space. With undulating vocals from KCRW favorite Weyes Blood and arresting visual cues, this track is perfectly suited for seances, pagan rituals, or any other soul-renewal you might pursue.
Sofie Royer – “Schweden Espresso”
Guileless while winking, vintage while contemporary — this track from international-woman-of-musical-coolness Sofie Royer invites you to sing (and feel) along. Bringing to mind the romantic melancholy of Nico and paired with a delightful fish-out-of-water music video, the story contained in this ode to disappointment unfolds through full-bodied instrumentation and Royer’s clear, distinguished vocals. Feeling her vibe? Dive all in on her sophomore album, “Harlequin.”
Nick Hakim – “Feeling Myself”
Where there are stars, Nick Hakim is a whole galaxy. In this compelling new single, the Brooklyn-based artist leans on unboundaried beats and skittering synths to cushion his singular vocal style: raw and unfettered, center-stage but once-removed, and always at the ready to transform into a multi-purpose production tool as needed. Released alongside an inviting, scrapbook-style video, this single offers the most tantalizing taste of Hakim’s latest LP, “COMETA.”
Victoria Monét – “Experience”
But enough brain food — let’s dance! Victoria Monét was ahead of the disco-revival game with this 2020 release celebrating sparkling lights, gleaming floors, and smooth moves. A Grammy nominee for her accomplished songwriting with pop princess Ariana Grande (among others), Monét’s a force in her own right. Confident whisper-sung vocals pair with an irresistible bassline and bright brass on this sexy-fun single featuring chart-drivers Khalid and SG Lewis.