Twentyhood Selects: Sounds of November

Written by Stephanie Kleanthous

Design by Stephanie Kleanthous, illustration by Emily Nash

Our latest Sounds of the Month playlist and accompanied article to keep you up to date with new releases by our favourite artists. Below is just a sneak peek, you can listen to the full playlist here.

Sega Bodega, Låpsley – Make U Stay

This dreamy collab follows on from Sega Bodega’s album Salvador and Låpsley’s Through Water which were both released earlier this year. Over lockdown, Sega paired up with artists such as Dorian Electra to deliver us a series of FaceTime covers for his project ‘Reestablishing Connection’, all of the money went to a Covid crisis fund @aim_insta_uk. As part of this, he and Låpsley covered Gwen Stefani’s Cool which can be found here. On Make U Stay they merge garage and trance to create a sound that is uniquely them with lyrics focused on jealousy and longing. They wrote the track together in her Tottenham studio after connecting via Instagram.

NAYANA IZ – Partner In Crime

North London-based artist NAYANA IZ is a member of art collective NiNE8 which includes members Biig Piig, Lava La Rue and more. Much like her style, her music blends sounds that draw from her Indian heritage and London upbringing. The music video exemplifies this duality with vibrant lights, streetwear and a Khanda. Switching from smooth vocals and riffs to hit us with her slick rapping skills, partner in crime is a divine concoction of electronic, jazz and hip-hop.

Mae Muller – Dependent

London born and bred Mae Muller has just dropped her new EP, No One Else, Not Even You. It’s filled with sassy beats from HFB (Happy F*cking Birthday) to Nails So Long (which will cut you off). She’s not scared to speak her mind on the men that she’s crossed paths with or dump you on your f*cking birthday. Switching things up, pop track Dependent is all about the fear of falling in love and losing her independence which is “hanging by a thread”. With eye-catching videos, nails to die for and always girl power vibes, I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.

Flohio – Sweet Flaws

Lagos-born, Bermondsey-based electro-rapper FLOHIO fuses trap and hip-hop for a distinctive sound. Last year saw her collabing with artists such as Mahalia, Nao and The Streets after her party energy-filled 2018 EP, Wild Yout. Following the release of Unveiled and With Ease, Cadenza-produced Sweet Flaws is the latest single drop from her new mixtape No Panic No Pain.

Dua Saleh – angel rock

Dua Saleh, non-binary Muslim singer-songwriter is the genre-binding artist 2020 needed. Dua was born in Sudan and is Minnesota-based. They often dip in and out of their beautifully haunting vocals to hard-hitting rap. After releasing EP ROSETTA in summer, they continue to give us distinct, mystical tracks such as Psymun-produced angel rock. Combining a chamber orchestral arrangement, hip-hop and a gloomy beat just epitomises their innovative nature.

Dana Williams – Happy Holidaze

Dana Williams is a singer-songwriter and poet from Los Angeles, regularly fusing soul, folk and pop. She blessed us with her melodic vocals on Rejjie Snow’s Egyptian Luvr and Oh No! tracks back in 2018 and I’ve been obsessed ever since. In Happy Holidaze, which is part of a 2-track release alongside Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, we get a taste of the melancholic pandemic-Christmas ahead. Like most of us, Dana’s lost track of the days and even the time of year but she remains hopeful, “think of the days we were allowed to embrace, it will be over soon”.

Chelou – Where Did I Go Wrong

I first came across Chelou when he released Halfway to Nowhere in 2016 with a stunningly animated video by artist Polly Nor. The North London-based singer-songwriter has just released his new album Real which features Where Did I Go Wrong. Often merging lo-fi sounds with an alt-indie experience, his honest lyrics are perfect for long late night car rides (as long as you’re in the passenger seat and can stare dramatically out the window as the rain trickles down).

Thundercat – Fair Chance (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Lil B) [Floating Points Remix]

Electronic producer and DJ Floating Points brings something up-beat and fresh to Thundercat’s Fair Chance. The original track, which is about Mac Miller, featured on his LP It Is What It Is that he released in April. If this remix makes you miss clubs as much as I do and you’re lucky enough to be a Tenacious Tier 2er, kindly ask your Uber driver to roll the windows down, blast this through the speakers and let those party vibes course through your veins on your way to your substantial meal and pints extravaganza – mask ON.

You can listen to the full playlist on Spotify here.