New music from Beach House, GOON, Pierre Kwenders and EARTHGANG
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add into our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context).
Here are four new songs that the JME team is listening to right now (all of which appear on our latest Fresh Squeeze playlist).
“Garden of Our Neighbor” by Goon
The latest from L.A. psych rockers GOON moves from the solitude of the bedroom and straight to the hermetically sealed bunker. The brainchild of singer-songwriter Kenny Becker, the new five-song EP was recorded to tape and direct to digital, and the opening track “Garden of Our Neighbor” is a highlight of the group’s homegrown harvest. Synths swell, acoustic guitars are plucked, and a march-style beat pushes the whole lush swoon into an impressive outro of seagulls and a melodic meltdown with a DNA lineage gurgling down from Pink Floyd’s 1970 masterpiece, Atom Heart Mother. –Daniel A. Brown
-Stream on Apple Music
-Stream on Tidal
-Stream on Spotify
“Heartbeat” [feat. anaiis] by Pierre Kwenders
Congolese-born Pierre Kwenders has been weaving Congolese rumba, electronic, R&B, jazz and more with a range of global collaborators since his 2014 debut Le Dernier Empereur Bantou, earning praise from the New York Times, as well as Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize. On “Heartbeat” the second-single from Kwenders’ forthcoming full-length José Louis and the Paradox of Love (due out in April on Arts & Crafts), the Montreal-based DJ and songwriter offers an infectious multilingual slow jam, building a pulsing, electronic soundscape as a vehicle for French-Senegalese artist anaiis’ graceful vocals. It’s a showcase of both the dynamic range of Kwenders’ sonic palette and the emotional depth of his song craft.–Matthew Shaw
-Stream on Apple Music
-Stream on Tidal
-Stream on Spotify
“WATERBOYZ” [feat. JID, J. Cole] by EARTHGANG
With assistance from Dreamville Records’ warriors JID and J. Cole, Atlanta hip-hop duo WowGr8 and Olu flaunt over the psycho-soul production of “WATERBOYZ,” the latest single from EARTHGANG’s critically lauded new album GHETTO GODS. Dispensing the word water in multiple metaphoric flourishes –– their movement through the world, how to stunt correctly –– EARTHGANG’s loony, refreshing style is on full display on “WATERBOYZ,” as they offer up their singular navigation of the hip-hop arena.–Al Pete
-Stream on Apple Music
-Stream on Tidal
-Stream on Spotify
“Once Twice Meldoy” by Beach House
Across their seven previous records as Beach House, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have continued to reanimate and expand upon their singular dream pop ambience. “No Matter where you go, you’ll always see your shadow,” sings Legrand on “Once Twice Melody” the opening tune from a new album of the same name (their eighth record and the first one produced entirely by the Baltimore duo). Across both the song and the album, Beach House builds new layers while navigating familiar territory, charting a path through vast oceans of whirring synths on a handcrafted boat of lush strings and acoustic guitars.–Matthew Shaw
-Stream on Apple Music
-Stream on Tidal
-Stream on Spotify
Want a full glass of Fresh Squeeze? Drink down the Jacksonville Music Experience’s monthly playlist, featuring the best new music from local, regional, national and international artists.