Listen: Don't You Give Up On Me — Joshua Idehen

A long-term favourite of mine, British-born Nigerian Joshua Idehen is back, but this time with his debut release as a solo project.

When I first heard Don’t You Give Up On Me, I didn’t know it was by Idehen, an artist whose work I am very familiar with. All the same, the emotive, honest and soulful performance caught my attention. Idehen’s vocal performance provides a grounded honesty — an authentic and poetic flow that could only come from British streets. The gospel chorus that gives the song its chorus surrounds the listener in a calming determination and optimism.

Idehen’s work has always struck an emotional chord for me — thoughtful and compassionate, modern yet timeless. The importance of compassion, for each other and for ourselves, was clearly on Josh’s mind when he wrote this piece, as he explains:

“This was the first beat Ludvig (the producer) sent me, and I pretty much finished the lyrics by that day’s end. It’s a poem about second chances and forgiving yourself. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel people are too quick with each other these days: I know I’ve been guilty of it at times. This is a plea for a bit more patience with each other, and for me to be a bit more patient with myself.”

Let’s all have a bit more compassion, for each other, and for ourselves.

Listen: Yes! — Willah

With a warm electronic bed and bouncy beats, Willah’s debut single Yes! wiggles with a gentle excitement. Vocals have an authenticity that gives the song a grounded feeling—slightly nerdy in a Metronomy and Hot Chip way, but all the more accessible as the result.

It is the chorus of Yes! that really delivers… Willah’s vocal little more than a sassy, “Uh hu, yeah yeah” refrain that loops over and over in my brain, whilst sounds ping pong around like synaptic fireworks.

Yes! is a song about the kind of romance where even the participants know won’t last. The energy on display is reflective of those bubbling emotions as eyes meeting, and words go unspoken, upshot with a cooling slice of melancholy. I am excited to hear more. Check it out:

Watch: Forget About It — Antoine Chambe

Antoine Chambe has just come in with what feels like the perfect compliment to my last post. Where It Got Away From Me floated on a current of reflective melancholy, Forget About It is the upswing that is coming out the other side.

The electronic production of French musician Antoine Chambe gives Forget About It a bouncy, playful feeling the captures the sensation of jumping into your favourite trainers. Whilst the filtered, French indie house sound is very familiar, Chambe pulls in the vocals of Swedish duo Tomode in a way that gives this a fresh feeling. Tomode’s vocal give the song a big shot of humanity. If Chambe’s production is box fresh pair of sneakers, the vocals are the excitement of a journey to see a certain someone you just can’t wait to be around.

Having historically produced for other artists and labels, Antoine has gradually been building his reputation under his own name. His 2017 track Dream Of Me charted on Soundcloud’s top of the world deep house and has almost 10 million plays, whilst his 2019 track Easy Come scored radio play and success in China, racking up over 250 million streams. Forget About It is taken from Chambe’s forthcoming debut album, Riverside, due in June 2022.

Watch: It Got Away From Me — I Can’t Speak French

I’m generally not a fan of processed vocals — as I have said before, they can feel like a crutch, used without considering the importance of the fit between a song’s story and its sound. It Got Away From Me has a crisp and clean feeling, the sound perfectly reflected in the song’s video visualiser of someone floating in a seemingly giant body of water, untroubled by waves or other people. Within that context, I really love the vocal effect employed by I Can’t Speak French here, which reminds me of the sound Bon Iver used back on his Blood Bank EP.

The reason this sound works for me is a combination of the song’s minimalism, and its vulnerability. It Got Away From Me is the embodiment of the notion that less is more — guitars, a simple drum rhythm, some light synths and then crucially that vocal. The role here of that vocal is much one of instrumentation, a compliment to the guitars and synths, as story-telling.

The story-telling is still important, though, and the veneer over the vocals feels like a safety net, particularly as the song delivers the killer line, “I’m not scared of dying — I’m scared of dying alone”. There is a blissful floating sensation with It Got Away From Me, and it feels like floating in a softly emotional state, sitting with the observed importance of human connection.

I Can’t Speak French is the new project created by members of Masonair, Movement and breathe. As someone who was a bit obsessed with the potential of Movement, in particular, that is a little thrilling. The name for this new project is a reference to the influence that Air’s debut, Moon Safari, has on them. Yet, the band also liken their sound to “a(n unexpected) cross between Cigarettes After Sex and Kavinsky” — a weird description but also one that is totally on the money. The clean lines of the latter meet the downtrodden melodic melancholy of the former in what I can only describe as hungover bliss. One of those hangovers that doesn’t hurt, and instead leaves you introspective, yearning and more emotional.

Check out It Got Away From Me below. I Can’t Speak French just made themselves one to watch.

Listen: My Adeline — Isla Rose

Originally hailing from the US but now based in London, Isla Rose represents a new voice for alternative pop. Having grown up in Mississippi, it was whilst studying music production in London that Rose first began songwriting. She is now about to release her debut EP, due in May, and My Adeline represents her debut song release.

As a song, My Adeline moves with a deep, hypnotic feeling that evokes the artistic take on pop music pursued by the likes of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks. Which is to say, there is a folksy otherworldliness and an earthy feel to Rose’s sound. The production has a crisp electronic edge to it, but depicts a melody that feels more organic than those electronics would typically provide.

It is on the chorus of My Adeline that the song really comes to life — the repeated melodic refrain infectious and instantly recognisable… The song takes on an earworm-like quality that keeps me coming back for more. Check it out below:

Isla Rose · My Adeline