BEST CHILL SONGS – WEEK 44

10/30/15

Halloween is a time for spooking people, but BitCandy is hoping to send a different kind of chill down your spine this October 31st. If you're planning on taking it easy on Saturday, then the following playlist is sure to make it a fright night to remember – assuming you keep your claws off the creepy cocktail! For those of you who do sip on one too many Pumpkin Spice Martinis, however, then the latest songs from Nosaj Thing, Kevin Garrett, The Japanese House and more can double up as a perfect hangover cure too.

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NOSAJ THING (FEAT. CHANCE THE RAPPER AND THE O'MY'S) – COLD STARES

Just in time for Halloween, Los Angeles producer Nosaj Thing unveils the haunting video for “Cold Stares.” Directed by Daito Manabe and TAKCOM, it stars a couple of hospital patients dancing in an ever-evolving virtual reality as a squadron of drones fly overhead. As chill-inducing as the song itself, I can't stop watching it!

 

LUCIANBLOMKAMP – FROM AFAR

More goosebumps, anyone?! A song about feeling disconnected from your surroundings, “From Afar” is one of Melbourne producer LUCIANBLOMKAMP's most thought-provoking offerings to date. This theme is carried through into the Tess Huston-directed video. Starring a young mother suffering from severe depression and struggling with her day-to-day life, it's an unnerving albeit imperative watch.

 

TĀLĀ AND BANKS – WOLFPACK

Forget Taylor Swift's girl squad, I want to be part of Banks and TĀLĀ's “Wolfpack.” The purveyors of dark pop straight up kill it on the latest single to be unveiled from TĀLĀ's EP MALIKA. A call to arms for girls in the music industry to respect artistry, originality and, most importantly, each other, here's hoping this formidable collaboration inspires more of our favorite females to work together!

 

KEVIN GARRETT – REFUSE – CURATOR DUFFSTER

This song is beautiful. Kevin Garrett's voice is nothing short of life-affirming. “Refuse” is undoubtedly the Pittsburgh-born, Brooklyn-based R&B artist's most profound effort to date. Even BitCandy favorite Brandyn Burnette felt the need to leave a SoundCloud comment on the soul-infused piano ballad – see if you can spot it!

 

GATE – STAY (KEI REPRISE)

If you're a fan of anime-inspired vibes, then you're going to love “Stay (Kei Reprise)” by South Korean producer Gate. A cute and magical instrumental that concludes with a quote from director Makoto Shinkai's The Garden of Words, my only complaint is it's too short!

 

RITUAL (FEAT. DELILAH) – TOO DEEP

Dim the lights and get in the mood for loving this Halloween with R I T U A L. Everything the London R&B trio have released up to this point has got me hot under the collar, but the latest single to be unveiled from their EP, From the City to the Wilderness, is on another level. I blame Delilah – her come-hither vocals really add to the sexual tension!

 

MR. SILLA – BREATHE – CURATOR DUFFSTER

Mr. Silla may sound vulnerable on the surface, but she proves herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the video for her debut single “Breathe.” Directed by Thora Hilmars, it stars the Icelandic songstress and another female locked in battle in the confines of an abandoned warehouse. A brutal watch, this is sure to have Sigurlaug Gisladóttir's dark pop contemporaries quaking in their boots!

 

DVSN – THE LINE – CURATOR DUFFSTER

In this age of reduced attention spans, seven minutes is a long time to expect someone to listen to your music. Enigmatic Toronto crooner dvsn has the blogosphere hanging on to every word of his debut single “The Line,” however. Since being shared by OVO Sound, the R&B opus has gone from strength to strength – even being compared to one of the most iconic Boyz II Men songs of all time! I'm not sure I'm ready to go that far yet, but there's no denying dvsn is a master of his craft.

 

THE JAPANESE HOUSE – LETTER BY THE WATER – CURATOR DUFFSTER

The Japanese House's debut EP, Pools to Bathe In, never failed in refreshing the senses and purifying the soul. The 20-year-old is at it again on “Letter by the Water.” The latest single to be unveiled from Amber Bain's upcoming EP, Clean, is another life-affirming slice of guitar-driven dream pop destined for big and beautiful things!

 

TOBY TOBIAS – THE WONDER

If you struggle to contain yourself to the disco-infused grooves of “The Wonder” by London producer Toby Tobias, then you aren't the only one. Apparently even grandmothers can't help but lose themselves to the retro-futuristic banger based on this eccentric video from director Matthew Reed. Oh my God – that old woman dancing in the blue shell suit is definitely going to be me in 50 years time!

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Happy Halloween! x

Halloween” by Bea Represa is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized).

About Jess Grant

When Jess Grant isn't writing on music, she can be found playing it – on her guitar, on her ukulele, and on her recently acquired mandolin. Playing it hideously, she ought to add. Jess also studies. She studies the English language, to be precise. Jess is currently on her way to a degree in the subject, and enjoys starting and never finishing novels, screenplays, and poetry in her spare time. She also likes dogs. Lots of dogs.