Since the beginning of 2020, artists have been working hard at producing handfuls of new music for us to digest during the gloomiest of seasons. February is, without a doubt, the worst month of the year (sorry Valentine’s Day). So, to warm our frost-bitten ears, a wave of fresh EDM is penetrating the winter cold (that isn’t to say that people in warm places can’t listen… they just might not appreciate it like we do). Gather up all these new tunes and check your calendars, because while it may still be freezing, the sun will soon return, and artists are touring!
GRiZ: “Could U”
On February 6, “Could U” hit all of our favorite streaming services and social media platforms. Grant Kwiecinski himself (AKA GRiZ, duh!) took to Twitter the other day describing this latest jam as, “Funky, techy, bassy house vibes” and I couldn’t agree more. It has that signature funkiness that is always present in GRiZ songs– that high energy sound that grabs your shoulders and insists that you move around (no matter how weird it looks).
This new single came in a pack of two. He dropped an original and the Club Mix, and they both pack a punch (okay, I won’t lie, I can’t really tell them apart). There is an echoey element before the drop, that then bubbles up straight out of the speaker. Songs like this are so surreal when you pop in your headphones and crank the volume. It’s a totally different experience, especially compared to just playing it from a computer. Basically, check out “Could U” and seriously consider splurging on a concert or festival ticket to catch GRiZ in action when he returns to the states.
Louis The Child: “Don’t Mind”
Louis The Child (Robby Hauldren and Frederic Kennett) released their new single, “Don’t Mind” on January 31, shining some well-deserved light on our lives. The duo has been on quite the singles kick lately, putting out six in 2019. They continue that here in 2020 with this latest song. It certainly follows their usual thread of sunny-sounding, electronic pop, which is exactly what I’ve been craving lately. Listening to “Don’t Mind” on the way to class puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face.
I wouldn’t be surprised if every song represented in this article joined hands and ran off into the sunset together– the sunset being the cover art for this Louis The Child song. I would absolutely chase after them, happy to follow that rainbow road as far as it would take me. Hopefully, it would lead through winter and straight to California in time to catch “Don’t Mind” live this April.
San Holo: “Honest”
Sander van Dijck, known to us as San Holo, released a new song on January 31. Similar to much of his music, “Honest” gives me some gentle electronic vibes. He and Broods came together to create a perfect blend of indie-pop and EDM. This latest song truly coincides with San Holo’s “stay vibrant” philosophy, a phrase that grew in popularity in 2019. He promotes positivity and good energy as a spectrum, able to be represented by whatever percentage of “vibrance” you seem to be feeling. He tweeted yesterday, hinting at a “vibrant hotline” (whatever that entails, we don’t know yet), and the replies have been overwhelmingly positive.
This gushing and overflowing of positivity present on his timeline spills out in this new release. With 1 million streams in its first week, “Honest” is definitely a hint of warmth in this dreary February. San Holo is already touring, and if you want to kill two birds with one stone, he’ll be in Detroit with Louis The Child in May!
