Artists to Watch
Lo Village – “Terry Crews”
Maryland has been the budding ground for incredible musical talent for decades now, and Gaithersburg trio Lo Village is an act to add to the ever-growing list. Made up of Ama, Kane, and Tyler, the trio combines a plethora of R&B and hip-hop influences, giving rise to a culturally robust, standout sonic identity that they have spent several years crafting. The group had a busy 2019, with the release of their EP titled “It Takes A Village,” which saw support from outlets such as HYPEBEAST, Ones To Watch, Lyrcial Lemonade, Notion, and Earmilk. The group also received support from Spotify through placement on several of the platform’s branded playlists, including Fresh Finds, Mellow Bars, and Anti Pop — to name a few.
Lo Village has spent much of 2020 in the studio, taking on more socially and politically charged themes from a lyrical aspect. As the world sees a momentous shift regarding racial injustice and inequality, the group knew it was time to convey their truth through new music.
With another EP on the horizon titled ‘Lost In America,’ Lo Village is sharing their first cut from the project, “Terry Crews,” featuring the production of Frankie Scoca. The single comes with a pressing message for black celebrities who have become far removed from the daily struggles of African-Americans in 2020. Specifically, the track underscores the age-old lesson that fame, money, and clout don’t serve as an excuse to detach from your roots.
Ama, Kane, and Tyler exchange smooth, gliding verses alongside turbulent, wavy production from Frankie on “Terry Crews.” The track has an unavoidable bounce throughout, which balances it beautifully with the aforementioned issues conveyed, and the final result is both a timely and potent statement from the trio.
Myles Cameron – Counting Sheep
Hailing from Westchester NY 22-year old artist Myles Cameron writes music exploring his experiences growing up in American suburbia. Myles began dabbling in songwriting in his early teens, then took it a step further after meeting now-collaborator and producer Frankis through Soundcloud in 2015, which has led to a tape titled ‘ everwanted ’ the single “Caged Bird” and his summer EP ‘Lonely Suburban Blackboy’ that dropped earlier this year. The body of work proved to be a strong one for Myles, getting support from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, VICE, Hypebeast, Beats1 w/ Julie Adenuaga, BBC, Ones To Watch, Spotify, Apple and several other tastemakers in the industry.
“Counting Sheep” is the first single from Myles’ sophomore EP Black Sheep and on the stand- out track Myles’ warm, sultry baritone melds stunningly with frequent collaborator Frankis’ production. The NY based singer continues to portray close-to-heart, brilliant songwriting too, knitting together a winter atmosphere you’ll find yourself coming back to more than once.
“Counting Sheep happened while we were recording in my grandparents’ house one weekend in August. I’d had the idea for the story told in the lyrics for a little while, but I didn’t have the emotional ammo to write it until I met this girl and literally had the experience I’d been trying to write about.
I wrote the chords and then our homie, Common minds, who was staying with us started humming this little melody. I basically forced him to record it (he’s not a singer, but autotune fixed that) which became the intro. Once we had those two elements down the rest of the song just materialized in 30 minutes. Our friend Corey from the band Bathe added the killer guitar solo at the end.”
Myles Cameron – LED
“LED” is Myles’ second and final single from the body of work Black Sheep, following up the stellar “Counting Sheep” that was premiered on Zane Lowe. On this track, Myles continues to show how he can step away from any genre molds alongside producer Frankie Scoca, who also helps inject left-of-center production to help lift the vocals. The single continues an atmosphere that contrasts his last EP, one that brings in alluring, late-night atmospheres, both thematically and sonically, and in other aspects as well, Myles’ confident tones and heartfelt songwriting, help knit this song together beautifully.
“LED was one of the first demos we made after Lonely Suburban Black boy and pretty much set the tone for where I wanted this project to live. It’s dark and hazy and processed. It was inspired by a moment of intimacy I had with someone where neither of us were really looking for anything more out of it at the time.”
MOODIndigo – “Leaf Man (A Bird In NY)"
Moodindigo is the moniker of Brooklyn-based all-round artist Fred Mathisen, who’s in a vein of his own with the brand of hip-hop he’s carved out. The 21-year old, grew up in Norway, and was exposed to the deep roots of American music and art as a whole at a very young age, resulting in a sound and aesthetic that pays homage to his inspirations (Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, Jean-Michel Basquiat) as well as pushes his forth his close-to-heart emotions and creative expression.“Leaf Man (A Bird in NY)” is his debut single, and on it he portrays both his production and vocal prowess, combining lo-fi, jazz-influenced production alongside wavy, standout verses. The changeup halfway through as well, switches the atmosphere seamlessly, giving rise to smooth, repeat-worthy listen. There’s something for every listener with the single here, as the combination of hip-hop and indie sounds make it hugely accessible yet fresh, and as a whole gives an impeccably strong introduction to the world of MOODindigo.
“The idea for Leaf Man came to me in a space where I wasn’t dealing with some issues very well, and felt like I was constantly falling. I coined him Leaf Man, and the track is basically me tryna runaway from everything, on top of a psychedelic jazz influenced beat, which kinda sound like the intro of the film León. I got my homie Danny (who doesn’t make music but was chilling in the studio in Queens) to record some goofy ad libs and I ended up keeping them. The second part of the song after the beat switch is just a super mellow drunk dragging response to the first part.” - MOODindigo
CHLOBOCOP – “It’sNotOver”
Glasgow native CHLOBOCOP burst onto the scene only about a year ago and she’s already turning heads with her distinctive brand of pop/hip-hop. The 22-year old released NARCOTICS in 2019 and it’s become the centerpiece of both her trajectory and rapid success as an artist. Gravitating towards more dark atmospheres sonically, combined with a consistent red-inclined visual aesthetic, Chloe breaks through the social media noise by staying fiery and true to herself through and through. Having taken a hiatus much of 2020, CHLOBOCOP is now taking on a more pop-leaning approach as a whole, and is without question set to take the music world by storm in the months to come.
Days after the first lockdown was lifted, CHLOBOCOP jumped on a train from London to Paris to link with her producer and close friend Sūn Jùn. A summer night driven by insouciance led to the creation of “It'sNotOver”. It all started from a WhatsApp voice note from Sūn Jùn playing a guitar chord progression. After the very first listen, Chloe connected with it immediately and went downstairs to the studio, and they both completed the track within one session.
Her last single saw the likes of Complex UK, CLASH, FACE, Pigeons & Planes, Ones To Watch and tons of Spotify playlist support (Anti Pop, Shisha Lounge, Outliers, Fresh Finds cover and more).
Stepping away from her more rap-heavy approach, the single bridges the gap between her pop sensibilities and her signature hip-hop tone making for an emotive, repeat-worthy listen.
Chloe is set for a busy 2021, gracing fans with a taste of what's to come with this single. She'll be in heavy release mode from February onwards going into the summer, and expect the visuals to couple the music in sublime fashion too.