#chill dance

We somehow made the criminal error of missing out on Swedish singer songwriting duo Hearts & Colors until now. These guys got their start covering the likes of Bruno Mars and One Direction on YouTube before they started releasing their originals. Now that we’ve come across their latest single Lion, we’re hooked! Lion is a balmy grooving pop and chill dance hybrid that’s incredibly infectious. There’s no better way to kick off the warmer months of summer than this sublimely hooking earworm. You can also stream Lion on Spotify, here.

It’s not often these days that we get a new song from Jessie Ware, so when we do, I treasure it, I hold it closely and dear (figuratively speaking) and I blast the bleep out of it, like I’ve been doing with the English sensation’s new song Adore You. Hopefully it’s arrival, and last year’s Overtime, are an omen of a new album to come soon. Listen in as Jessie goes chill esoteric, sleek burbling electro on the gorgeous glistering new jam, a lissome hypnotizer that oozes an endless stream of crisp sparkling elegance. Jessie Ware’s ever impeccable voice dances light and weightless through the nimble electronica found on the Joe Mount (Metronomy) co-written and produced track. We’ve been wondering for a long time what Joe Mount has been up to since Metronomy’s last album dropped back in 2016. Turns out, he’s been making music with Jessie Ware! There are no complaints to be found here, this is a heavenly pairing, though Mount has cast off that wonky whimsicality we know him for in Metronomy. Stream/download aptly named Adore You, here.

You think you’ve heard Shallow enough, maybe countless times, whether the recorded version, or that stupendous performance by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper during the Academy Awards. But then, you come across Cupido, an enigmatic artist and producer who likes to “make music with his heart”. And the chill electronica/deep house re-work that he gives us for Shallow changes everything. Its soothing acoustics and dreamy dance rhythm renews your love for Shallow, maybe even leaves you misty eyed. Cupido has a bevy of such fine transformations on Soundcloud, including a dewy melting rendition of Gigi D’Agostino’s In My Mind. Stream it below, and let it bring back youthful memories and an overwhelming sense of sweet nostalgia. Stream/download Shallow, here, and In My Mind, here.

We continue with our female pop artists spree by relishing in the latest single from Canadian starlet Sara Diamond. She teamed up with producer Brodi on Latter, a sultry gleaming pop song with a chill smoldering R&B soul lilt and a mellow summer groove. The Montreal talent captivates us with her caramelized voice on the balmy winding exploration of the journey we call life. Instead of focusing on the destination, or the confusion that it might entail, Sara Diamond reminds us to embrace that journey. Latter is out and available now, here.

In all likelihood, most of you have already listened to MØ’s new song. After all, the Danish artist is a pretty big deal these days. But our undying love of her feisty and sassy pop, which she delivers with such exceptional force and charisma live, renders Nostalgia a requisite share despite her star status these days. Watch the lyric video for Nostalgia, which is MØ’s first release this year. A balmy beat saturates the breezy chic pop anthem, which is available from iTunes, here.

Enigmatic South London sonic magician &around, who first surfaced several months ago with a warm glowing house/pop hybrid named Dreaming All Night, has followed up that debut in fitting style with soothing Without Your Love. He envelopes us with warmth and radiance on the track, flawlessly blending chill tropical house with synthy pop on the endearing track. Despite its phosphorescence and blissed out balminess, there’s a melancholic wistfulness to the song, too. The singer songwriter and producer, who’s been ensconced in the studio working on his new material, explains:  "I wrote the original song idea in Bali during a tropical storm I got to New Zealand about a month later and recorded a vocal sample of a woman singing to Maori gods next to the largest tree in the world (Tāne Mahuta) which sounded great dropped into this demo, so I booked a studio just outside Aukland in NZ parked outside in my campervan with my girlfriend for a couple days and finished tracking the song. it’s about realising how sad it would be being away from someone you love - when they’ve become such a big part of your life." You can re-visit our feature of &around’s debut single, here.

Italian electronic duo MARNIK takes us on a vibrant sweeping, beat pumping electronica and pop journey as they team up with fellow producers ROOKIES on new single Burn. It’s a new downtempo direction for MARNIK, and ROOKIES’ infectious topline adds to the song’s staggering allure. Burn’s springy energy and crisp production are a magnetic, complementary contrast to ROOKIES’ sooty impassioned vocals. Don’t be surprised if this fine anthem is your new crossover addiction. Burn is out now via Virgin EMI and Astralwerks.