Yung Lean ft. Lil Flash: “Fantasy”
Yung Lean dropped “Fantasy” as a single off of his sophomore album, “Warlord,” which was released Feb. 25. Lean remains one of the most eclectic and unpredictable artists across all genres, earning himself a strong underground following and mainstream attention. The teenage rapper talks about drugs, killers in the street and other hip-hop tropes in his latest song. “Fantasy” includes production efforts from fellow Sad Boys, Yung Gud and Yung Sherman, and the music is reflective of their previous work, further cementing their place as the premier Swedish trap-beat producers.
Kaytranada (edit): “Sharpness”
Groovy bass, precise instrumentation, sharp vocal mixing and smooth delivery characterizes “Sharpness,” as Kaytranada proves once again why he is the best at what he does. By bringing a fresh take to a great song by Jamie Woon—while acknowledging what made the original song great in the first place—this song represents the best a remix can ever hope to be.
Kirby: “Loved By You”
When Leon Bridges released “Coming Home” on his SoundCloud account around a year ago, it was mostly picked up by small music bloggers who all realized there was something really special about this song. Since then, Bridges has had more mainstream success. “Loved By You” has the same feel to it that Bridges’ debut song had. Both are pure soul tracks that sound like music from decades earlier and both come from extremely talented artists with the full backing of major labels (Roc Nation for Kirby; Columbia for Bridges). Who needs indie credibility when you can make music as pure, as moving and as excellent as this?
Saba: “Soap Box”
“Soap Box” can be summed up in one word: fire. Saba went off on this song, taking the opportunity to spill out all his grievances and silence anyone who has ever doubted him. His voice and production reminds listeners that this Saba is the same Saba that collaborated with Chance the Rapper on “Angels.” Beyond that, however, “Soap Box” is far from angelic. The chorus starts with, “I set a fire to the flames in hell,” and Saba adds the line, “You are not a person/ You look like a serpent with a plan that’s parallel to poverty/ I’m perpendicular.”
Mesita: “Epilogue”
This week, the Denver-based indie-rock band, Mesita, released the epilogue to an old relationship. It’s a song about finally coming to peace with a breakup and the newfound ability to make new memories that comes with that. Not everything is perfect, and an ex-lover will never disappear from memory, but overall, things are good. Mac Demarco-esque guitar and honest lyrics make it a quirky, almost relaxing track. It’s a fitting end to the five-track EP, “Small Table” which was released for free earlier this month.
jstringer@theeagleonline.com
