Electro – Page 61 – 7th Level Music

Review: Bayonne – Drastic Measures

Bayonne’s Bandcamp page describes each track on his new album, Drastic Measures, as being “orchestral in texture.” I’m not sure I can describe it better than that, because it’s evident from the opening notes.

The first song, “QA,” begins with string section-like synths and heartbeat rhythms as Roger Sellers (AKA Bayonne) sings like he’s coming out of a dream with the words still fresh in his mind. The title track is an instant toe-tapper that builds into a whole body-mover with Afrobeat-tinged percussion and joyful synths. “Same” is a lovely track that starts with soft piano and builds like a breeze beneath you that almost feels like it’s going to lift you off the ground.

“Gift” continues the orchestral / cinematic feel and by now one realizes how good a pianist Sellers is, and how well he melds piano chords with electronic beats. “Enders” is a slightly trippy instrumental, and “I Know” starts off with what sounds like creaky sounds from an old boat tied to a pier but then turns into a bright, bouncy love song. I couldn’t help but think of Christopher Cross while listening to “Kind” thanks to Sellers’ floating vocals and its smooth synths.

“Uncertainly Deranged” not only has an interesting title, but it also has interesting beats and a happily manic feel to it. “Abilia” reminds me of a horse galloping in a field on an early spring morning before the sun has thawed the frosted grass as Sellers sings to a lover he’s wronged in the past and is now, perhaps like that horse, running toward his ex in hopes her heart will thaw.

The album ends with “Bothering” – an interesting title for a closing track because Sellers certainly hasn’t been bothering us throughout the record. It’s a beautiful song (with more great piano work by Sellers) about hope and presence in a time or constant bother from outside forces. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to quiet the endless feed of white noise coming at us from all sides, but sometimes the simplest measures yield amazing results. Ending an album called Drastic Measures with a hopeful, simple song is both bold and subtle – as is this entire record.

Keep your mind open.

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Blanck Mass lets us know that “Love Is a Parasite” before the release of his new album due August 16th.

[‘No Dice’] sounds like heaven and hell locked in an arm wrestle, jockeying for attention.”
– Stereogum
Blanck Mass – the solo electronic project of Scotland-based musician Benjamin John Power – shares the final pre-release single / video, “Love Is a Parasite,” from his forthcoming album, Animated Violence Mild, out August 16th on Sacred Bones. The video, directed by Craig Murray, reflects the track’s chaotic energy, and depicts scenes of a commercial shoot that takes an absurd turn. “I wanted to speak to Craig Murray about making the ‘…Parasite’ video as his work definitely bridges that gap between the grotesque and the beautiful that I am so keen on,” says Power. “Presenting the darker theme of global mass consumerism whilst poking fun at the ’80s and starring a Drag Queen overseeing chaos wasn’t going to be an easy task but he nailed it.”

“It was great to be asked by Ben to work on this which instantly led us to bizarrely mirrored ideas… I decided to set the film in 1983 as a nod to Cronenberg and in order to do that everything from the costumes to the shooting and post production needed to fit,” says Murray. “I have a deep nostalgia with this time period and its video formats, so to honour it we shot on a transmission feed which we glitched by plugging and unplugging the cable. I find emulated effects offensive.”

Animated Violence Mild is Power’s fourth full-length as Blanck Mass, and his most emotionally direct statement yet. The album was written throughout 2018, at Power’s studio outside of Edinburgh. These eight tracks are the diary of a year of work steeped in honing craft, self-discovery, and grief – the latter of which reared its head at the final hurdle of producing this record and created a whole separate narrative: grief, both for what Power has lost personally, but also in a global sense, for what we as a species have lost and handed over to our blood-sucking counterpart, consumerism, only to be ravaged by it.
Watch “Love Is a Parasite” Video –
https://youtu.be/pmMY35HlTAo

Stream “No Dice” –
https://youtu.be/Lsnb6GBrQP8

Stream “House vs. House” –
https://youtu.be/7DJ12asti2k

Pre-order Animated Violence Mild –https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr220-blanck-mass-animated-violence-mild
Blanck Mass Tour Dates:
Fri. Sept. 20 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (w/ Helm)Sat. Sept. 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (w/ Helm)
Mon. Sept. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA (w/ Helm)
Tue. Sept. 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe (w/ Helm)
Wed. Sept. 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s (w/ Helm)
Thu. Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (w/ Helm)
Fri. Sept. 27 – Detroit, MI @ UFO (w/ Helm)
Sat. Sept. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground (w/ Helm)
Sun. Sept. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz (w/ Helm)
Tue. Oct. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey (w/ Helm)
Thu. Oct. 3 – Portland, OR @ Holocene (w/ Helm)
Fri. Oct. 4 – Oakland, CA @ Starline (w/ Helm)
Sat. Oct. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (w/ Helm)

Keep your mind open.

[Love is also what you can show me by subscribing.]

Gabe Gurnsey’s remix of Shura’s “religion” is the perfect amount of summer dance floor heat.

Shura is pleased to release the Gabe Gurnsey remix of “religion (u can lay your hands on me),”a track from her forthcoming album, forevher, due August 16th. Gurnsey – a London based producer and co-founder of seminal post-industrial act Factory Floor – adds oscillating beats and a club-driven tempo to the single.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Shura’s work since ‘Nothing’s Real’ so it was an honour to be asked to remix her latest single ‘Religion’,” says Gurnsey. “Shura’s vocals alone are a dream element to have in the remix process and that coupled with the amazing textures and production that lie deep in her tracks have made working on this a massive pleasure. The vocal hook ‘Oh girl don’t stop ‘ was destined for the dance floor…”

Written primarily about Shura’s relationship with her girlfriend and their long-distance conception, forevher traces everything from the initial pull of desire to that first IRL meeting (“the stage”), before recognizing when the connection develops into something scarily meaningful. It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, Skype chats…and MUNA gigs. The album was co-produced alongside Joel Pott – with musical turns from Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), T-E-E-D and additional vocals from Rosie Lowe, Kerry Leatham, Reva from Nimmo.
“religion (u can lay your hands on me)” Remixes:
1. religion (u can lay your hands on me)
2. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix]
3. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix Edit]
4. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Dub]

Listen to “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” remix –
https://youtu.be/IcYMriu4onQ

Pre-order forevher –
https://shura.ffm.to/forevher

Watch/Listen/Share:
“the stage” –https://youtu.be/wha1nQp2Bvk
Watch Video for “religion (u lay your hands on me)” – https://youtu.be/HHI_WpVLT1g
Stream “BKLYNLDN” – https://shura.ffm.to/bklynldn
Stream “BKLYNLDN” (i_vu London Dub) –https://youtu.be/kAxprvn2IGI

Shura Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *
Fri. Sept. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile *
Sat. Sept. 28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
Mon. Sept. 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent *
Wed.. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Thu. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
Wed. Oct. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ^
Thu. Oct. 17 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement ^
Fri. Oct. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage ^
Sat. Oct. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s ^
Sun. Oct. 20 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern ^
Tue. Oct. 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^
Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
Mon. Nov. 4 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse #
Tue. Nov. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor #
Wed. Nov. 6 – Munich, DE @ Ampere #
Thu. Nov. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Lido #
Fri. Nov. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo #
Sun. Nov. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil #
Tue. Nov. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg #
Wed. Nov. 13 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie #
Thu. Nov. 14 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Nov. 16 – Dublin, IE @ Academy
Sun. Nov. 17 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Mon. Nov. 18 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

*w/ support from Quinn Christopher
^ w/ Support from Hannah Cohen
# w/ support from Rosie Lowe

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Monomotion – Fujisan

Electro artist Monomotion (AKA Erol Egintalay) drew his inspiration for his new album, Fujisan, from a warm Japanese spring. It’s focus on serenity, beauty, and positivity. Listening to this album is like going to a Zen garden / day spa that happens to have a night club in it.

The opener, “North Cascades,” briefly slows down everything around you before some hip-shaking beats bubble up to the surface to get you feeling good. “Mango” is full of those peppy beats and soothing synths that float into “Seed” – a track great for meditation or waiting in line at the airport (which can be the same thing if you do it right).

“Ecocline Patterns” needs to be on the soundtrack for the upcoming Dune movie reboot. It has dance beats that mix with strange metal sounds and synthwave computer sounds. The title track moves along like an autumn leaf on a warm Japanese spring while an unseasonably warm sun shines through the remaining leaves on the trees. “Borders” reminds me of Art of Noise cuts with its female vocal sounds and synth-string arrangements. The closing track, “Luck of the Mountains,” is a bouncy mix of happy electronic beats and hummingbird synths.

Fujisan is a warm record. It’s not something you’ll use to tear up a dance floor, but it’s something you’ll want for late night chill parties and makeout sessions in the club, or in your car, or at home, or anywhere else, really.

Keep your mind open.

Monomotion releases “Borders” before his new album, “Fujisan,” drops tomorrow.

Monomotion, the project of French electronic musician Erol Engintalay, is pleased to share a new single, “Borders,” from his forthcoming EP, Fujisan, due July 26th via FAKE MUSIC. Following the lush, tick-tock techno of “Mango” and the evocative lead single “Ecocline Patterns,” “Borders” begins with ethereal synth before coming alive with echoing percussions and beats.

Stream “Borders” – https://soundcloud.com/monomotionmusic/borders/s-UQTqh

“‘Borders’ was first made with the intention of symbolizing hope and to focus on the simple idea of reaching a certain freedom. It ended up being a therapeutic track that I wanted to sound like something light, dreamy, full of hope,” says Engintalay. “If I think about it, it makes me think that somehow this track is really a representation of my mood when I realised that I was granted a second chance and I had to take it. I finally had a source of hope and freedom to start doing what I loved the most, again.”

Written and recorded over a year and a half, the seven-track Fujisan EP is a reflection on the positive aspects of life—a sense of breaking through and moving forward that imbues the project as a whole. Inspired by a warm Japanese spring, Engintalay describes Fujisan as “a life test after every challenge I’ve gone through, physically and musically. It’s very spiritual, representing climbing mountains and breaking through walls to get further in life.”

Stream “Mango” (With FEYNMAN) – https://soundcloud.com/monomotionmusic/mango-x-feynman/s-f4LIm

Listen to “Ecocline Patterns” – https://soundcloud.com/monomotionmusic/ecocline-patterns/s-EcsS0

Pre-order Fujisan – http://smarturl.it/FM024_FUJISAN

Keep your mind open.

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Shura releases “The Stage” ahead of full album due August 16th.

Shura unveils a new track, “the stage,” from her forthcoming album forevher, out on Secretly Canadian on August 16th. Intimate, unorthodox and affecting, “the stage” switches between sensual, Minie Ripperton and Prince-inspired disco to ecstatic electronics that capture the tension of a potential new love. Shura drew inspiration from her first date with current girlfriend.

“I had travelled to NYC to go on it, so I was a little bit nervous as this was definitely THE most high stakes date I’d ever been on,” says Shura. “I DM’d my friends MUNA who were playing a show the night that I arrived and asked them if they could get us both in, and they loved the concept of a first date at a MUNA gig. I wasn’t sure how the date was going until she took my hand whilst trying to lead me to a spot where I could see them play (i.e. basically nowhere in the venue as I’m too short!). Then I knew it was all going to be OK.”

Written primarily about Shura’s relationship with her girlfriend and their long-distance conception, forevher traces everything from the initial pull of desire to that first IRL meeting (“the stage”), before recognizing when the connection develops into something scarily meaningful. It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, Skype chats…and MUNA gigs.

Co-produced alongside Joel Pott – with musical turns from Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), T-E-E-D and additional vocals from Rosie Lowe, Kerry Leatham, Reva from Nimmo – Shura describes forevher as “a soul record, sung by someone who doesn’t have a traditional soul voice. And I quite enjoy the antagonism of that.” A passionate, tactile album about connection in times of distance, that unmistakable feeling is apparent from just a glance at the album’s artwork, which reworks ‘Rodin’s: The Kiss’ to feature two woman bathed in an all-encompassing blue. “I wanted to create something that people could look at, in the way that you look at The Kiss, and think: I recognise that. Or I want that, or I crave that, or I miss that. I wanted to make something that was specific to my experience of being a queer woman that anyone of any gender or sexuality could look at and think ‘yeah, I understand’ or ‘that’s beautiful.’ Because that’s all love is.”
Listen to “the stage” –
https://youtu.be/zDCPai9kWLQ

Watch Video for “religion (u lay your hands on me) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHI_WpVLT1g

Stream “BKLYNLDN” –
https://shura.ffm.to/bklynldn

Stream “BKLYNLDN” (i_vu London Dub) –
https://youtu.be/kAxprvn2IGI

Shura Tour Dates:
Thu. June 27 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
Sat. June 29 – Worthy Farm, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
Thu. Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
Fri. Sept. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
Sat. Sept. 28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Mon. Sept. 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Wed.. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Wed. Oct. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Thu. Oct. 17 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Fri. Oct. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Sat. Oct. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. Oct. 20 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Tue. Oct. 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mon. Nov. 4 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse
Tue. Nov. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
Wed. Nov. 6 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
Thu. Nov. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Fri. Nov. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo
Sun. Nov. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil
Tue. Nov. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
Wed. Nov. 13 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie
Thu. Nov. 14 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Nov. 16 – Dublin, IE @ Academy
Sun. Nov. 17 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Mon. Nov. 18 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

Pre-order forevher –
https://shura.ffm.to/forevher

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Ash Walker – Aquamarine

Multi-instrumentalist Ash Walker describes his newest album, Aquamarine, as “…like a deep sea voyage into the subconscious.” I’m not sure I can put it any better than that. It’s a lovely record of trip hop, dub, jazz, funk, and lounge electro that will surely be among my top records of 2019.

The opening electric dub drums of “Under the Sun” instantly cast you onto a shiny sea aboard a catamaran supplied with good drinks, lovely people, and even better music. The jazz drums and flute of “Time” (which, like the track before it, features soulful vocals by Laville) make you forget time, much like you would on that catamaran sailing across a clear sea. “Come with Us” is a great dub track with a smooth trumpet solo.

“Brave New World” brings in acid jazz flair. “Finishing Touch” keeps the acid jazz drum beats, but sprinkles trip hop on top of them and Laville’s guest vocals smooth them out. The title track tick-tocks in a soothing, hypnotizing manner. The flow of “Sanity” reminds me of a rowboat bumping against a dock as slow waves come into shore. The beats get snappy on “I Need Money,” and Walker’s inclusion of electric piano adds a sweet touch.

As one might expect, “Fat King Smoke,” is one of the funkiest tracks on the record. I love the slippery beats, the Theremin-like synths (which could really be a Theremin for all I know), and the weird electro bass line. “Ain’t Got You” (with more guest vocals by Laville, who appears four times on the record) is dancefloor-ready. “The Dagon’s Cashmere Jumper” might be my favorite song title of the year. I hope you get the reference and realize that, yes, a Dagon might need a cashmere jumper now and then while strolling around on land.

Aquamarine is otherworldly, and a pleasant journey that I’m sure sounds and feels different every time you hear it. Dive in, the water’s fine – great, in fact.

Keep your mind open.

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Anna Meredith’s new single, “Paramour,” is a good omen for her upcoming album – “FIBS” – due this October.

Anna Meredith – “one of the most innovative minds in modern British music” (Pitchfork) – today announces her eagerly anticipated second studio album, FIBS, out October 25th via Black Prince Fury. Alongside the announcement, she shares the lead single / video, “Paramour.” The one-take video and song forbids you from turning away. Its sweeps, jerks and wrong turns pin your ears to the speakers whilst heading for warp speed at a blistering 176 BPM, rounding out with an (utterly unexpected) tuba-led half-time rock-out.

Arriving three and a half years on from the release of her debut studio album, Varmints, an album that juxtaposed hulking slabs of cross-rhythm and electronics with brittle gusts of delicate confession and irresistibly addictive pop melody, FIBS marks her first new music since the soundtrack of original compositions for the Bo Burnham directed film Eighth Grade. Meredith is a well-known classical composer, having been Composer in Residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and regularly commissioned by orchestras around the world. Additionally, she was the first female composer to be commissioned for both the First and the Last Night of the Proms and was recently named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to music, making her Anna Meredith MBE.

FIBS is 45 minutes of technicolour maximalism, almost perpetual rhythmic reinvention, and boasts a visceral richness and unparalleled accessibility. It is no Varmints Part 2. Instead, if anything, it’s Varmints 2.0, an overhauled and updated version of the composer’s soundworld, involving, in places, a literal retooling that has seen Meredith chuck out her old MIDI patches and combine her unique compositional voice with brand-new instruments, both acoustic and electronic, and a writing process that’s more intense than she’s ever known. Despite Meredith’s background and skills these tracks are no academic exercise, the world of FIBS is at both overwhelming and intimate, a journey of intense energy and joyful irreverence.

FIBS, says Meredith, are “lies — but nice friendly lies, little stories and constructions and daydreams and narratives that you make for yourself or you tell yourself”. Entirely internally generated and perfectly balanced, they can be a source of comfort and excitement, intrigue and endless entertainment. The eleven fibs contained on Anna Meredith’s second record will do all that, and more.
Watch the Video for “Paramour” –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjmZLaymJU8

Pre-order FIBS –
http://smarturl.it/FIBS

Download hi-res jpegs and images of Anna Meredith –
https://pitchperfectpr.com/anna-meredith/

FIBS Tracklist:
1. Sawbones
2. Inhale Exhale
3. Calion
4. Killjoy
5. Bump
6. moonmoons
7. Divining
8. Limpet
9. Ribbons
10. Paramour
11. Unfurl

Anna Meredith Tour Dates:
Sat. Aug. 3 – Hackney, UK @ Visions Festival
Fri. Aug. 23 – Helsinki, FI @ Helsinki Festival
Mon. Feb. 3 – Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall
Tue. Feb. 4 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Wed. Feb. 5 – London, UK @ EartH
Thu. Feb. 6 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity
Sat. Feb. 8 – Glasgow, UK @ Art School
Sun. Feb. 9 – Coventry, UK @ Arts Centre
Mon. Feb. 10 – Brighton, UK @ Old Market

Keep your mind open.

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Ash Walker releases new single, “Finishing Touch,” ahead of upcoming album – “Aquamarine.”

In advance of his forthcoming album, Aquamarine (out July 19th on Night
Time Stories), the London-based multi-instrumentalist Ash Walker shares new single, “Finishing Touch”, featuring the smooth voice of Laville, alongside
it’s Louis Hvejsel-Bork-directed video.

Watch Video For New Single, “Finishing Touch” —
https://youtu.be/3BbobhRJpQY

“Set in an uncanny valley of a richly coloured world, we see Ash navigate and explore his world through music and curiosity,” explains Hvejsel-Bork.
“Through the power of his music, he unlocks something deeper within a
totalitarian society. A lost individual is awoken by his music, forsaking her
enslavement and planning an escape to a freer future.”

In order to create an otherworldly look, the video was shot with an infrared
camera using a brand new filter that replicates the old Kodak Aerochrome
look. There’s only one company that makes this filter, which was shipped
specially for this project from the US. Originally, Aerochrome film was used
during WW1 for better aerial surveillance, allowing unseen details of terrain. This was later adopted in popular culture through people like Jimi Hendrix
and Frank Zappa in photography.

Aquamarine is a projection and culmination of all Ash has absorbed. A cosmic explosion of sound and colour, rhythm, shape, and patterns. The arrival of an unassuming dreamer now projecting his unique flavour of expression.
Aquamarine is the take-off of this audial spaceship, a sound discovered in the
grooves of thousands of records, united in one.

Ash will celebrate the release of Aquamarine with a special secret show in
Central London on Saturday, July 20th where he’ll perform the album in its
entirety for the first time. The location will be revealed only to ticket buyers.
Tickets are available for purchase here.
Stream “Under The Sun” (Feat. Laville) —
https://youtu.be/Uy_9g3v8uhw

Pre-order Aquamarine —
https://orcd.co/aquamarine

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Mexico City Blondes – Blush

Blush is a lovely electro record from Mexico City Blondes (Greg Doscher and Allie Thompson) that blends dub beats, trip hop touches, and lounge jazz.

The album opens with the snappy, funky “Out to Dry,” with Thompson’s vocals hopping around Doscher’s processed beats and effective rhythm guitar work. As soon as you hear “Addio,” you realize the decision to make it the first single from Blush was a no-brainer. The Blondes make no attempt to hide their love of Portishead as Thompson’s vocals move like a warm breeze across a rooftop nightclub full of frisky people.

“Road Noise” builds to a cool groove for the afterparty following that rooftop nightclub. Thompson’s vocals on “Thick as Thieves” remind me of Emily Haines from Metric, but Doscher keeps the track from drifting into stadium rock by rooting it with elements of synth wave in-between the electro-pop. The rattlesnake-like beats of “Yellow Sunshine” add a thrilling touch to the adventure offered by Thompson’s lyrics (“We are only looking for peace of mind. We are always keeping our eyes on the prize.”).

“Thin Line” has Thompson revealing dark secrets as she sings, “I know what it’s like on the other side.” Doscher brings in an acoustic guitar to surprise us at the beginning of “Crimson” as the beats and Thompson’s vocals swell to a trippy bliss. Thompson’s vocals are especially lovely as she sings about the risks of love on “Off the Hook.” “Sunny Day” is deceptively heavy (and those little saxophone flairs!) and deserves to be mixed by DJ’s worldwide. “All night, I keep on thinkin that you’ll never change,” Thompson sings on “All Night.” She knows she’s in a relationship that will ultimately go nowhere, but she can’t resist the moments as they come. “Reasons Why” flows well between dance beats, ambient synths, and trip hop flavors. The album closes with “Planet Caravan,” the sexiest song on the album with its languid guitars, Thompson’s mirage-like vocals, and slow seduction beats.

So far, Blush is the best make-out record I’ve heard this year. It’s also one of the best chill records and electro records I’ve heard so far in 2019. You’ll dig it.

Keep your mind open.

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