TOP CHILL MUSIC: 10 SONGS OF SANCTUARY

by Jess Grant
2/19/21

Photo by Allison Christine on Unsplash

As deadly winter storms continue to batter large areas of the United States, millions of people are still without heat or power. Before we get to this week’s edition of Top Chill Music, then, We Are: The Guard would like to take this moment to highlight some places where you can donate to those currently in most need across Texas and beyond:

Check out the following vibes from Amaria, Emmit Fenn, Syd, and seven other favorites.

-

AMARIA – THINK ABOUT IT

Amaria is the definition of a vibe. Following on from the release of “Roses,” the Tampa singer-songwriter returns this February with “Think About It.” Produced alongside K, Le Maestro, it’s an opulent listen that hears Amaria questioning the future direction of a relationship, with her elegant vocals inviting us in over a beat that nothing short of slaps.

 

EMMIT FENN – UNTIL WE LEAVE THE GROUND

Ahead of the release of his debut album Far From Here in April, We Are: The Guard favorite Emmit Fenn returns today with “Until We Leave the Ground.” The follow-up to “Edge of the Dark” is about a love so otherworldly, it feels like you could take off at any given moment, with Emmit carrying said emotion through into this ethereal piano ballad.

 

SYD – MISSING OUT

It’s been a minute since we last heard from The Internet’s Syd, but the Los Angeles act returns at long last this Friday morning with “Missing Out.” The follow-up to “Birthday” – a collaboration with Disclosure and Kehlani – is a breathy breakup anthem, with synthesizers stretching out beneath Syd as she sultrily sings about all her lover has lost.

 

BRIJEAN – HEY BOY

Every time I listen to Brijean, I feel like I’m transported to an island in the depths of summer. Case in point: “Hey Boy.” The latest single to be unveiled from the Oakland act’s forthcoming debut album Feelings is a sultry, humid bop replete with balearic beats and psychedelic grooves, with Brijean Murphy’s vocal line dappling like a moonlit ocean.

 

KOSTE – FIGURES/KIDS

The enigmatic, mysterious Koste continues the buildup to the release of his debut album Bleeding Sun – due out in April – by sharing “Figures/Kids.” Following on from his previous single “Weather,” it’s a somber, melancholy lament about losing touch with lovers as you grow older that showcases Koste’s croaking, James Blake-indebted voice.

 

SURF MESA & MADISON BEER – CARRIED AWAY

Valentine’s Day may be over for another year, but Seattle producer Surf Mesa and YouTube sensation Madison Beer are continuing to shoot arrows through our hearts on “Carried Away.” “I love to love I just wanna stay/And get carried away, I get carried away,” sings Madison atop flitters of harps on the cut, which makes for a cherubic listen.

 

GALLANT – RELAPSE

These are tumultuous, unprecedented times we’re living in, but Gallant is making his escape on the radiant “Relapse.” “It was the first song I wrote after I could sense things weren’t working out between me and my former label,” says the R&B act of the cut – a gleaming ode to letting go and giving in as lifted from Gallant’s forthcoming EP Neptune.

 

BISHOP BRIGGS (FEAT. JACOB BANKS) – SOMEONE ELSE

We Are: The Guard favorites Bishop Briggs and Jacob Banks come together for the gorgeous “SOMEONE ELSE.” “I wrote ‘SOMEONE ELSE’ about feeling overwhelmed by existing in the world,” reveals Bishop of the cut, which hears both artists using their powerhouse voices in order to bring to life an inner despair. Devastating, beautiful stuff.

 

JIMI SOMEWHERE (FEAT. JON WALTZ) – CONFIDENCE

Norwegian indie-pop artist Jimi Somewhere goes in search of “Confidence” on his latest single of the same name. Featured on his recent debut album Nothing Gold Can Stay, it’s a song about coming of age and the impact this can have on our self-esteem, with gilded, refracted flourishes backing Jimi as he sings about finding his place in the world.

 

BUSCABULLA – EVA (UMBERTO TOZZI COVER)

Buscabulla celebrate the power of love to overcome tragedy on this cover of “Eva.” “We decided to give it our own twist, softening it without losing its powerful essence, and hopefully conveying that spirit of rebirth, optimism for the new year,” say Buscabulla of the cut, which serves a much-needed moment of calm amid the storm of recent months.

-

Follow We Are: The Guard’s Weekly Chart for more. x

Online Music Marketing Course – Get Your Music Heard

Jess Grant is a frustrated writer hailing from London, England. When she isn't tasked with disentangling her thoughts from her brain and putting them on paper, Jess can generally be found listening to The Beatles, or cooking vegetarian food.