Jams of the Week: Shallou, Lion Babe, Pan Amsterdam, Anaïs, Trampolene
This week, take flight with Shallou, ride the midnight wave with Lion Babe, chill with Pan Amsterdam, feel Anaïs’s soulful flow, and wake up with Trampolene.
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‘Vignette’ by Shallou
Washington DC-based beatmaker Shallou is helping us get clear of the smog, crowds and noise of urban life with his ethereal blends. ‘Vignette’ is the latest single from his forthcoming EP, Souls (due April 27), and it has that weightless, comforting aura of a Bonobo or Four Tet track. The video, directed by Jordan Taylor Wright, is a feast for the eyes, too.
‘The Wave (feat. Leikeli47)’ by Lion Babe
We’re in love with Lion Babe and the alternate present they inhabit, where 1970s disco has collided with woozy, 2010s electronica. ‘The Wave’, the latest single from singer Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman, is another super-slick dance-pop groove and features rapper Leikeli47. Along with recent single ‘Honey Dew’ and 2017’s ‘Rockets’, Lion Babe are racking up tunes to soundtrack chic, rooftop parties from New York to Nairobi. The duo have a new project on the way, and we can’t wait to hear what’s next from them.
‘Plus One’ by Pan Amsterdam
There’s a matter-of-factness about Pan Amsterdam that’s instantly likeable. He spouts his bars with casual confidence, as if he’s chilling on the street corner, rhyming at you, like MF Doom or Skimkid3 (The Pharcyde). Backed by its mellow jazz loops, this jam is sun-baked East Coast gold.
‘Set in Stone’ by Anaïs
What makes Anaïs’s music so alluring isn’t her deft vocal abilities, which are part Des’ree, part Nao. It’s not her sublime verses, which are filmic, autobiographical. And it’s not the solid-sounding instrumentation that backs her up her stories. It’s all three of these things combined.
‘Set in Stone’ appears on her debut EP, Before Zero, and is a tale of change. Anaïs’s own story is an interesting one: she studied at NYU, along with contemporaries Arca and Gallant. In 2015, she moved to London, where she’s been building contacts and working on her craft. Her debut EP – which also features her tribute to Nina Simone and a cover of Charles Aznavour’s ‘La Mamma’ – confirms her as a talent fans of soulful pop should absolutely follow.
‘Hard Times for Dreamers’ by Trampolene
“It’s not a revolution, it’s a revelation,” shouts lead singer Jack Jones. Swansea rock group Trampolene know what’s going on. Channelling the wry gab of Oasis and the mayhem of Nirvana, their latest single is a raucous scream at the passive, apathetic shoulder-shrugging of the world today. Give their debut album, Swansea to Hornsey, a listen, if their punky, indie rock gets your blood pumping.
*** Listen to even more new music on The Fresh List playlist ***
Image: Julia Lowe