Welcome back to the campus and another installment of Push Play Monday. This week’s playlist is another collection of those lesser-known gems posted and kept on SoundCloud. Even if you don’t like the music, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on each of the artists you see listed. Who knows — maybe a future Grammy nominee is somewhere in here.
1) “Here With Me” by Goody Grace feat. Harry Hudson
Cherub-faced Goody Grace has a warm voice to match his boyish look. At only 18, he joined his pal Gnash to open for Hoodie Allen’s Happy Camper tour this past winter. This track’s featured artist, Harry Hudson, has been all over Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat stories the last few months. With song links tweeted out by the likes of Jaden Smith, social media star Sam Wilkinson and Jenner herself, his music is sure to blow later this year.
2) “MIA OLA/Foreign Friend” by M.I.A.
M.I.A. is killing it once again. Almost directly after being featured on Baauer’s instantly popular “Temple” along with K-pop star G-Dragon, the alternative hip-hop artist dropped two tracks on the same SoundCloud post. M.I.A. tweeted an announcement of the drop by calling all her “Flypirates and DJs” to “spread the waves” before copyright infringement gets the song taken down. The first song of the post is called “MIA OLA” and it includes quite possibly the coolest sample of The Lion King‘s “Circle of Life.” The second half holds a thick, mind-numbing Middle Eastern vocal at its core, thrumming seamlessly with the song’s message on immigration.
3) “We Do This Shit” by Mod Sun
This Minnesota native makes the kind of feel-good sunshine music that some have come to refer to as “hippy hop.” With the release of his debut album around this time last year, he published his book Did I Ever Wake Up? in audio form as the last five tracks of his album. He has one of the least-retouched sets of values in the industry right now, so hold tight to his messages.
4) “Halfway Love” by Elhae
After a stay in Macon, Georgia, this talented new rapper moved to Atlanta to “get this music shit poppin’.” Pulling a lot of inspiration from Pharrell, Elhae (pronounced L.A.) dropped his debut album, All Have Fallen, earlier this month, to a widely positive reception. With nods from the likes of Soulection, Elhae is well on the way to being the next big thing.
5) “Brooklyn’s Own” by Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$ has been riding his own wave for years now. As the co-founder of the Pro Era Collective from Brooklyn, New York, Joey has dropped three mixtapes and a debut album in less than four years, making him by far the most successful member of the collective and highly deserving of a listen.
6) “Walk With Me (Swindail Remix)” by Cosmo’s Midnight feat. KUČKA
Swindail once listed his genre simply as “noise,” but the layers of this song beg to differ. After Sydney-based twin producers Cosmo’s Midnight teamed up with Australian electronic music-maker KUČKA last summer to make the original version of this song, Swindail hopped on the track and gave it one last push to the top.
7) “Save It” by Tory Lanez feat. Ed Sheeran
Tory Lanez blew up over the past few months with “Say It,” but this sultrier extended remix deserves just as much attention. The intro and outro feature the vocals of none other than Ed Sheeran, an artist who needs no introduction at this point. This song might be seven minutes long, but you will find yourself wishing it was longer when it’s over.
8) “Easy Love” by Tom Misch and Carmody
Tom Misch is a 20-year-old producer and singer whose Beat Tapes 1 and 2 have been receiving a lot of attention over the last few months. Some of his most famous works are collaborations with Carmody, who has an entire EP made with Misch called Out To Sea. Her next EP is finished and awaiting a much-desired release date.
9) “Dreaming Of You” by Isaac Valens
Originally from Tuscon, Arizona, Isaac Valens now resides in Maryland, where he has become friends with another rising artist of similar genre, Imad Royal. Valens writes, sings and produces all of his own tracks. Currently, there is no sign of an album coming soon, but one can hope.
10) “Lullaby” by Atlas Bound
This Australian duo comprises Adrian Kalcic and Will Taylor. The two shifted base from Sydney to L.A. a little more than two years ago to start working on their singles. While their SoundCloud steadily racks up millions on millions of plays, the duo is working on their debut EP, set to drop in May.
Next week, I’ll be back with another round of fire to start bringing in the warm season on the campus.
