1. Through Water by Låpsley
I was introduced to singer/songwriter Låpsley by a group of British exchange friends, for whom DJ Koze’s disco remix of her track Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me) was a go-to vibe booster at parties.
This past week I finally got to exploring more of her music and have been thrilled by what I’ve heard. Known as a lo-fi bedroom producer, her experimental production – whether your cup of English tea or not – is undeniably interesting. And there’s one song that has stood out to me so far: the title track opener of her album Through Water, which came out in March of this year.
Dark and free-flowing (to match its aquatic theme), the song finds Låpsley reflecting on the climate crisis and contemplating her place in it all (“I’ve got my conscience on my left and decisions on my right”). The music swirls around a recording of her reading the words of her father, a water engineer and world leader in sustainable development. “I went upstairs to the bathroom and just left the tap running and pressed voice note and I read out a speech my dad has given," she's described. By chopping the recording and colouring it with all kinds of beats and fleeting instrument samples, she creates a real ASMR experience.
2. Water Me Down by Vagabon
On theme, Vagabon’s Water Me Down creates a feeling of fluidity in its own way. In this case, it’s the staple synth rhythm that does the trick, mimicking droplets of water throughout the song.
A combination of airy melodies and quirky production, I loved the vibe of Water Me Down right away, but it was recently the singer’s corresponding Song Exploder episode that made me listen more fully. She recalls writing the wrong: “I had just gotten off the phone with someone I was dating at the time, and it was the most infuriating phone call that I’d been on in a long time. And I think I had this epiphany moment like, ‘Wait, I don’t need any of this. I’m not in survival mode. I don’t need anything that doesn’t serve me or make me feel good. I need more.” She grabbed a mic and started singing all the things she wished she had said on the phone.
The words came pouring out, and though she tried re-recording later she found that nothing rehearsed was as genuine as the off-the-cuff emotion of the original take, so that’s the very one we hear on the song. “[Water Me Down] means to be diluted,” she explains, “like someone taking away from the pure concentration of a person."
3. Tangerine by Glass Animals, Arlo Parks
Another treat of a discovery this week comes from Arlo Parks, who recently joined Glass Animals for a new collab version of Tangerine – one of the more popular tracks off the band’s latest album Dreamland. The original track is too buzzy for my taste but Parks’ voice balances it with a bit of feminine chill.
4. Night Garden by BENEE, Kenny Beats, Bakar
Finishing off with another great collab I've been addicted to lately: earlier this year BENEE and Bakar teamed up with producer Kenny Beats for Night Garden – a creepy-cool track that hooks you with its reggae-infused beat.
The lyrics are the only thing I sometimes have to avoid. The last thing I want to be listening to at night is BENEE's paranoia about someone always secretly watching her. No thank you.
Listen on Spotify to all 'Songs of the Week' here.
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