Silk Sonic – “Skate”: Is there anything better than summertime feel good music that sounds like it was recorded in the 70s? Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak would venture a guess—”nope!” I’m not sure where this project is headed, but I like it! It’s a welcome break from the uber-polished pop collabs top 40 radio is chock full of these days. The quality of this song speaks for itself. An Evening With Silk Sonic, a title that I presume is an album, is coming later this year. [Feature photo – by Harper Smith]

$cholah – “Presidential”: You have to respect an artist who is able to turn out a product this slick while pursuing a degree in Biomedical Science. As someone who is trying to get more with the program when it comes to underground hip hop, I found this track to be pleasant, slick, and suitable for my mellow mood this Sunday evening. The Montreal-born rapper shows versatility in his vocal stylings as well. Autotune isn’t carrying the song. The way everything ties together definitely piques my interest in Toronto producer Dom Banks, who is another brain behind this track.

Sanny Veloo – “The Human Race Ain’t Worth Saving”: It’s always a bit jarring to see words like the title of this song written out, coming from a Judeo-Christian worldview where redemption defines my life. That being said, there’s something ironically charming about Sanny Veloo’s fatalistic tongue-in-cheek brand of rock. The Aussie musician is here to offer lighthearted commentary, fun falsetto, and big riffs.

Tai Dawson – “Ascending”: What comes to mind when I hear or read names like M83 or Hans Zimmer? Atmospheric, for one. For me, another word comes to mind—wonder. A feeling often sought after in music but rarely captured in earnest is wonder. Its a something almost intangible that I yearn for. “Ascending” captures this yearning in spaces. In particular, I’m reminded of the ending sequence of Inception, a song that mixes hope, sadness, and some other emotions that are yet to be named.

David Gabriel Thorpe – “Fool For Your Love”: This song takes me back to the era of music blogging in which I was first discovering dreampop. This song in particular has a sensual and exploratory feel to it. The vocals just kind of mosey along. This is a quality that might be a bit polarizing, but that’s okay. Either way, I think you’ll find this a bit hypnotic.

The Shadowboxers – “When You Were Mine”: The pleasant theme of this singles roundup continues with “When You Were Mine.” The bouncy song isn’t as sad as one would expect with a title like that, but many great pop songs teach us to expect the unexpected. The guitar flourishes at the end of the track are vaguely reminiscent of The 1975, but the overall tempo and groove is that of atmospheric funk.