Electric Feels: Your Weekly Electronic Music Recap

SŸDE - Follow Me feat. Evan Klar

At the start of this year, we named Melbourne teen production pairing SŸDE as a duo to watch in 2018, with the indie-electronica sound showcased on singles like Above The Clouds and their debut, Orbit, which featured rising up-and-comer Ashe, proving to be both instantly replayable and unbearably catchy. Their latest single Follow Me continues this upwards trajectory, with the pairing uniting their guitar-infused, house-leaning sound with the smooth vocals of Evan Klar for an accessible and warm single that perfectly complements the duo's output thus far. The single is simplistic and restrained (in comparison to what they could achieve anyway), but the simplicity really works in their favour on Follow Me. The stripped-back feeling of the single's guitar line contrasts against the punchy bass and soft shadings of synth, which all melt together with Klar's soulful vocal to create this warm, yet not quite summer-ready single which I think perfectly suits the Australian winter. Check them out at BIGSOUND Festival in September for their debut live performance - the duo are really an act destined to do good things in the rest of the year and beyond.

RL Grime - Light Me Up feat. Miguel & Julia Michaels

One of last week's big releases came from RL Grime, who finally followed-up his debut album VOID with his long-awaited sophomore record, NOVA. The album is a versatile and genre-warping display of the Australian favourite's production skills and masterful songwriting, but among the crashing bass of Feel Free and the warped, Boys Noize-featuring highlight Pressure, sits an obvious outlier - Light Me Up. Featuring R&B king Miguel (who was recently in Australia for Splendour In The Grass) and Julia Michaels on vocals, Light Me Up is a dazzling display of RL Grime's somewhat under-rated pop songwriting skills, with the producer stripping things back for a synth-soaked, but unarguably vocal-led performance that is among the producer's better attempts into genres outside his own 'trademark' sound. It's perfectly balanced in all three collaborators' sounds, with RL Grime's punchy production meeting Miguel's unmatched smoothness and Julia Michaels' comforting, floating vocal presence that has seen her become a stand-out break-out over the last year. Check out the full album HERE, and catch RL Grime on tour with Goldlink for a huge, double-headline tour this November - deets and pre-sale tickets HERE.

Lido - 3 Million

Since dropping his debut album EVERYTHING back in 2016, things have been relatively quiet for electronic multi-instrumentalist Lido. Over the past two years, the Norwegian musician has linked up with R&B/hip-hop names like THEY. and J'von for the odd genre-warping collaboration, but aside from that, the only presence Lido has had over the last two years are in low-key remix packages and the occasional production role - like for Chance The Rapper's recent four-track surprise-drop. 3 Million is Lido's awaited solo return and it's a return to his EVERYTHING-esque sound, uniting his characteristically percussive sound with a bit more of an R&B backbone for a single that is both crunchy and sharp, but smooth and soulful; you can tell Lido's time with Chance has definitely washed off on him. Here's hoping there's more to come from Lido throughout the rest of 2018 - a follow up to his debut album, perhaps?

Bob Moses - Back Down

GRAMMY-winning electronic duo Bob Moses are definitely an act that sound better live than they do on record, but listening to their recorded material - like 2015's break-out LP Days Gone By - it would be hard to imagine. Uniting their thick, synth-driven electronic roots with a definite influence in the rockier side of things, semi-reminiscent of acts like our own international exports RÜFÜS DU SOL, Bob Moses are an act continually pushing out good music, with their 2018 returning single Heaven Only Knows being the perfect example. Back Down is their latest track and it sees the pair distance themselves from the more electronic-focused sound of their 2018 returning single in favour of one much more like their earlier work, bringing together an accessible vocal line, rather strong bass line, thick percussion and bright synth with this aforementioned indie-rock shading that distance the twosome from everyone else out there. Their new album Battle Lines is out September 14, and it's sure to be a treat - pre-order it HERE.

JUNGLE - Heavy, California

London collective and funk leaders JUNGLE returned with a pairing of new singles the other week, with Happy Man / House In LA cementing the constantly-expanding group as one of the brightest, catchiest, and downright enjoyable bands in the electronic market at the moment. This week they announced their long-awaited second album For Ever (out September 14, much like Bob Moses above) with another two new singles Heavy, California / Cherry, a pairing which places the group back on top and have us incredibly excited for what's bound to be an exciting returning album. While the more down-tempo and smooth Cherry certainly has its ups, Heavy California is the highlight of the two singles, bringing together this catchy choral vocal with another funk-fuelled production layered with enough sampling and percussion to truly put your headphones and speakers to the test. The group have also announced a world tour to accompany the album's release, and although there are no Australian dates thus far in the August to March run, there's a big fat gap in December and January that I think would be perfect for an Australian festival tour - here's hoping.

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