Pepa Knight | Soundcloud

Jinja Safari‘s Pepa Knight went solo and wowed me a few months back with ‘Rahh!’. Since then he’s released ‘Clams’ which is equally impressive and expressive. His self brand of tipi pop/jam makes absolute sense when you listen to it. It’s got essences of ethnic instruments combined with indie-pop layering to create some downright feel-good free-spirit, triumphant soul, child-of-the-sun type stuff. My favourite.

A self-searching sabbatical to India is the inspiration for his upcoming album and the lyrics you hear in these two singles are evident of how life-changing it was. A tipi in his back yard: the studio.

What are you waiting for? What are you living for?

Tep No | Soundcloud

Tep No combines essences of deep house and dream pop to create some seriously hypnotic flows to back his rhythm-and-bluesy voice, which maintains a sort of airy scratchiness. While the lyrics are relatively melancholy, the combination of everything pans out oddly soothing.

His first release, ‘Promises’, was a hit among those in the know. It brought to mind a more electronic Lana. We waited to see if he could carry the rep and his subsequent 2 releases definitely indicate he’s onto something good. You can download all his work for free off his SoundCloud.

Alt-J | Jessie Ware | Pomo | Solomun

It’s Summer! That means warm days, long nights, hazy memories, and a total disregard for the concept of time. Here are some of the latest and greatest tracks for you to match to whatever mood you’re caught in out there.

Pomo

Pomo’s newest work is an upbeat future beat track to either wake up smiling to or loosen up for the night groove. Andrea Cormier on vocals adds an angelic touch that only a care-free summer can complement. It’ll be on his forthcoming EP as well.

Solomun

You can’t have a summer without friends. You can’t have a summer without Deep House. Solomun brings that all together with Friends – 2DIY4. It’s a 9-minute adventure with just the right amount of tempo changes and surprises for those moments when thinking just won’t do. Put on a smile and dance those troubles away.

Alt-J

Alt-J’s newest single in their continued musical endeavour sans bassist Gwil Sainsbury is an ambient trip featuring replacement member Miley Cyrus. I jest. The sample used fits perfectly, though, considering the song is about fighting through loss. Lull yourself to sleep with this one.

Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware’s Tough Love channels Cyndi Lauper. Remember Time After Time? That was high-school graduation right there. This one’s got melodic electronics for those nights when your flings flop. Don’t worry – there’s always tomorrow. It’ll be out on her upcoming second studio album.

SPOON

After SPOON went to their Facebook to post a cover photo with the words ‘R.I.P.’, I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. I refused to believe that they were breaking up. One of Americas finest rock bands calling it quits? No way. After impatiently waiting, we were pleased to find out their upcoming album They Want My Soul would see its release date on August 5th. And the single will be aptly named Rent I Pay…alright. Thanks Yoda. I mean, I’ll take it. The song has just the raw and grit they’ve always been keen to deliver. Simple. Effective. Spoon. Listen below.

Spoon – Everything Hits At Once
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/spoon/01%20Everything%20Hits%20at%20Once.mp3]
Spoon – My Mathematical Mind
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/spoon/04%20My%20Mathematical%20Mind.mp3]
Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice (a side project of Spoon’s Britt Daniels Alex Fiscel)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/2012%20albums/Divine%20Fits/04%20Would%20That%20Not%20Be%20Nice.mp3]

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The Donkeys | Buy Ride the Black Wave

Summer is here. That can only mean a few things: lofty intrumentals, dazed drumming, and echoes of adventure. The Donkeys’ Ride the Black Wave perfectly encompasses all of these sonic requirements. Take a midweek mental vacation with this album. Or swap cement for sand cause, you know, school’s out and all.

Nebbra | Soundcloud

Parisian Nebbra is taking the electro hip-hop and trap influence and turning it on its head. He throws all the cuts, cymbals, chimes, whistles, pitched vocals, and hip-hop beats we’re familiar with thanks to Flume on top of calmer indie tracks to create extremely innovative chill music. He switched to this style from nu-disco 3 months ago and has since put out 5 remixes. His “Fall In Love” take even won Phantogram’s remix contest. Each one shows him experimenting deeper and deeper with this type of sound. All we can say is: we can’t wait to see how far this goes.

Lightning In A Bottle | Lineup | Tickets | Set Times

Hopefully you’ve been with us long enough to understand our praise for Chet Faker. What started as one of Flume’s consistent collaborators, turned into one of the most promising voices of the underground. He may look grungy and intimidating with that wicked beard, but you’ll have to refrain from judging this book by its cover. This Aussie puts out one of the most emotionally confident voices that just seems to put us at ease. His downtempo beats come off as a lullaby in recording, but pack a very unique groove when performed live. (Check after the jump for his Boiler Room set.) All of this bundled with his staggering debut album Built On Glass had him make our list of the best underground acts of 2014.

He’s set to go off at 7:40 on Sunday, which is bound to be one of the best sunset performances of the weekend.

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