Playlist: August 2014

"Two Weeks"

FKA twigs

FKA twigs has been around for a year or so, captivating underground trip-hop and R&B fans with her experimental extended plays, fittingly titled EP1 and EP2. I hadn't started listening to her until last month, but the lead single of her upcoming debut full-length album, LP1, caught me on my first listen. This trippy electronic is such a relaxing listen and it's only complemented by its beautiful video; if you haven't seen it, you must watch it. 

"Break Free"
Ariana Grande feat. Zedd

This year has been really big for Ariana Grande in many ways. She has now seen the end of her childhood acting era with the cancellation of Sam & Cat on Nickelodeon, watched her brother compete on the sixteenth season of Big Brother, and has skyrocketed farther as a recording artist. "Break Free" is the second single from her upcoming album My Everything, and I can't help but love it just as much as "Problem." Seeing that Zedd produced the song, I was disappointed by the lack of an electronic drop until the very end of the song, but the chorus is still killer either way.

"Hideaway"
Kiesza

This song has been a massive hit in European music markets in the past few months, and now Kiesza is starting to create a buzz here in the States. (As usual, we Americans are running a few months behind on popular music trends.) Once this song begins, listeners are mentally transported to a 1990s-era discotheque and automatically are drawn to dance along with Kiesza. (Which, if you haven't seen the video, watch it. She's got some great moves.)

"Mother & Father"
Broods

A five track extended play wasn't enough for the world; we all knew that we needed more Broods music in our lives. Their full-length album, Evergreen, will be out this month, featuring the lead single "Mother & Father." The song relies on a steady drum pattern and features some beautiful lyrics about growing older and the fear behind that fact. There is no time like the present to check out this great brother and sister duo!

"Don't Leave"
Seven Lions & Ellie Goulding

Just when Ellie Goulding thought she was going to be getting a break from the spotlight to relax and start work on her third full length album, DJ Fresh lets their collaborative effort "Flashlight" out as a new single in the United Kingdom and Seven Lions drops a new single featuring her vocals. This Seven Lions bit is a fresh electronic track, while on Goulding's end, we here some strong upper register notes and some smoky vocals on the lower end. In terms of Ellie Goulding's featured tracks, this is one of my favorites.