Five on it: Kah-Lo gives us pure joy in new single

As the clocks turn back, we’ve got some new releases to soothe our souls as the weather takes a turn for the worse. Summer Walker’s Tiny Desk Concert is a worthy mention – it makes for a beautiful soundtrack, perfect for cooking meals on nights in or curling up on the sofa with a hot drink. To further lift our spirits, GAIKA will be performing at the Roundhouse Rising Festival next week, accompanied by the likes of Cõvco and Elijah, among others. Definitely not one to miss.

Without further ado, here is this week’s Five on it:

Kah-Lo – ‘Exit Sign’

Kah-Lo is back with a banger, worthy to sit alongside her previous house-infused afrobeat hits ‘Rinse and Repeat’, ‘Fasta’ and – my personal favourite – ‘Ginger’. The Nigerian MC weaves together house beats and pop vocals into a euphoric party starter on ‘Exit Sign’. A sound that usually wouldn’t appeal to me somehow fills my body with sexy gogo-dancer, glitter-on-cheek kind of joy. ‘Exit Sign’ is the perfect soundtrack for Scorpio season debauchery. All I can say is: DJs, take note.

Tinashe – ‘Die A Little Bit’ ft. Ms Banks

Death, sex and rebirth: Tinashe making her debut as a newly independent artist is a Scorpio move if ever there was one. Her new release features south London rapper Ms Banks with breathy vocals and a glint in her eye. Getting down to ‘Let go and party to the sun’ is a surefire method to release endorphins trying to hibernate for the winter.

Amun – ‘Settling Scores’ EP

After releasing the single ‘Cycle’, Amun has dropped a new uncompromising EP giving us rattlesnake beats with a nineties video game aesthetic. The mood? Imagine if Aaliyah, an expensive durag and femme rage had a baby. ‘Settling Scores’ would be it. Standout track ‘Talk To Me Nice’ gives off the feeling of being wrapped in expensive furs, waiting in the kitchen for your lame-duck husband with divorce papers, before taking all his money. I’m not mad at it. You can listen to the full EP here.

UMI – ‘Runnin’’ ft. Yeek

Listen, I’m down for fairy-lit bedroom romance any time of the year but this slowed-down love song is a particular favourite. UMI and Yeek’s vocals blend to sound like the rich taste of molasses and brown sugar. Aptly calling her music “bedroom R&B”, UMI is staggering the release of songs from her new EP. ‘Runnin’’ dropped this week and we’re ready for more.

Gallant – ‘Hips’

Gallant is serving D’Angelo nineties’ schmooze worthy of everyone’s auto-erotic playlists on his new album ‘Sweet Insomnia’. The singer released ‘Sleep On It’ in August, inducing body rolls left, right, and centre. This 13 track album follows the same theme and includes ‘Hips’ – a song I personally will be lighting candles to whilst dancing in my bathroom mirror. You can listen to the whole album here.

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