Viibryd - THE PHARMACY

A key to a great track is its ability to create a self-contained universe; when things start rolling, you immediately feel what you’re wearing, what you’re looking at, and where you’re going from nothing but particular tones. Listening to “THE PHARMACY”, you can feel the wind blowing through your hair, but you’re not drifting down a highway or back road; rather, time barely seems to move, but you couldn’t care less. “THE PHARMACY” creates an atmosphere that invites repeated visits, a welcome respite from the world. You can hear all of Viibryd’s latest, Welcome to Villa Zodone Rx, on Bandcamp; as always, enjoy.

Infinity Frequencies - Endless Existance & Majesty (Matsuchi Remix)

One of the best parts of listening to remixes is comparing them back-to-back with the original. What really stood out about “Endless Existance & Majesty” is that it’s essentially a two-for-one; Matsuchi is able to combine here Infinity Frequencies’ “Endless Existence” with “Majesty”, spread across several years and separate releases. The beauty here is that the unshakable groove of “Endless Existence” pairs perfectly with the dreamy, surreal statements of “Majesty”. Matsuchi decides to take things a step further; by slowing up “Endless Existence” but twisting “Majesty” into a propulsive beast, both feel right at home next to each other. Needless to say, it’s quite the accomplishment to pull this off in just over two minutes. You can here more from Matsuchi on Bandcamp; as always, enjoy.

Jaies -  Driving Through the Rain with the Radio Down Low and the Lights Pass Like Ghosts (Cassette 8)

It’s always interesting to see where an artist wants you to start first with a release. While of course you can start at the beginning, Bandcamp gives artists the opportunity to pick which track will play first, regardless of its place in the actual collection. It begs the question: Why? Is this the artist putting their best foot forward? Is it the most accessible track, the one that is most representative of the release? Whatever the reason, Jaies starts us off with “Driving Through the Rain with the Radio Down Low and the Lights Pass Like Ghosts (Cassette 8)”, and truth is, there’s nothing else like it.

Pushed forward by a cold, unemotional pondering of existentialism, “Driving Through the Rain with the Radio Down Low and the Lights Pass Like Ghosts (Cassette 8)” sticks with you, making such musings seemingly tossed off, casual, and mundane. The gentle hum of the track keeps the listener just engaged enough to stick around; the passing rain and nostalgic twinkles keep the listener coming back. You can hear more from Lost on Bandcamp; as always, enjoy.

Lotus Bloom - Chamomile

With “Chamomile”, Lotus Bloom pulls off an impressive sleight-of-hand; first recalling the spirit of an oscillating ballerina, we then pivot to harder, buried sounds. The beauty of “Chamomile” is that both sounds find a way to meet in the middle; instead of being at odds with each other, they decide to melt together until the end comes. Props to Lotus Bloom for deciding that turnkey twinkling and slamming underground doors belong together; “Chamomile” is a truly singular experience. All of Tea Leaves goes at a different taste with a focused but twisted angle; pick your favorite flavor and as always, enjoy.

TSUKI - Pareidolia

While SVNSET WAVES is famous around these parts for releasing one outstanding compilation after another, it doesn’t mean they can’t drop killer albums either, which brings us to TSUKI’s Severance Package. Reliably unpredictable, you can spend one minute buried in heavy footwork (“Kill Me”) and the next drifting through a wonky ukulele-led ballad (“Boy”) before falling into the lyrical depths of a soulful rumination stuck in traffic (“It’s Just Like You’re Dead”). As such, it’s fitting that we start off with “Pareidolia”, otherwise known as looking for patterns and familiarity where none exists. Every time you think you’ve got a handle on “Pareidolia”, something unexpected happens, and you have to start over anew. Give Severance Package a chance, and sit back and wait for the possibilities to begin to express themselves. Enjoy.

Stumbleine - Crestfallen

The years have led Stumbleine to quite the interesting creative headspace. The question becomes, after so many stellar releases and having a complete handle on your sound, where can you go? The answer lies along the margins of a track like “Crestfallen”; while having elements that are instantly recognizable, the truth is, this sounds like nothing that this artist has done before. The proceedings are often muted and out of tune; the beat shuffles under the floorboards, hard to pin down while making its presence known. You could easily mistake “Crestfallen” as a downtempo remix of a previous Stumbleine track, but there is something so assured about these four minutes that it soon becomes clear who is pulling the strings. Off new release Static Bloom, “Crestfallen” hints at an exciting new direction; if we choose to ride along, we may end up in even more incredible places. Enjoy.

Fibre - The Only One (featuring Discandy)

One of the mandates of a solid future funk track is to understand there’s no time to waste; every second is a second worth grooving to, so anything extraneous needs to be left on the sidelines. “The Only One” understands this in spades, completely in control of its tempo and scope right from the onset. Fibre knows exactly what they’re doing with “The Only One”, which is an often underrated but essential component of a great track. You can hear more like “The Only One” over on Future Society’s Bandcamp; as always, enjoy.

sleepyhaze - ridin round flip

sleepyhaze tracks have a tendency to lull the listener into a false sense of security; most start off seemingly simple, but it doesn’t take long to realize how many layers are still there to be peeled back. It’s that same deceptive simplicity tracks like “ridin round flip” possess that really allows the listener to sink in, submerging themselves in a familiar but dream-like state, wondering if they should come back up or hang around for just a moment longer. As is the case with “ridin round flip”, there’s always a sample floating around that you may have heard before, but never like this. sleepyhaze drops material pretty frequently; catch up over on their Bandcamp and as always, enjoy.

Andy Leech - Skylight

Andy Leech’s music always carries with it an expert grasp on space, able to make the smallest moments seem infinite, while never forgetting that there’s a reason we’re still on the ground. “Skylight” is both propulsive and contemplative; the vocals never overstep their boundaries, the beats never disrupting the gentle atmosphere. Leech accomplishes all of this so effortlessly that it can be easy to take for granted; once you allow yourself to sink in, however, you start to see how everything works together in amazingly fine-tuned lockstep. You can here more on their Bandcamp; as always, enjoy.

boerd -Void

While listening to “Void”, several lines began to stick and repeat over and over in my head; boerd makes excellent use of the sparse, haunting vocals that revolve around the edges of the track. Starting with “places where I hide/reaches so far inside”, we are lead to “find the void in the center”, then left with “I want to share my deception”. All three work together to paint a picture being comfortably lonely, recognizing it can be terrifying going it alone, but enjoying the space you’ve managed to create for yourself. Enormous in scope and gyroscopic in nature, “Void” needs to be heard to be believed. Keep an eye out for more from this talented artist on Cascade Records, and as always, enjoy.