Today, I’m premiering a little recommendation column called The List, which is really just a new version of the erstwhile Listening List and One-Liners from previous Vehlinggo eras. I usually recommend between three and five recent releases (singles, EPs, LPs). Today, I’m going to keep it easy and offer up three: New York City’s Bunny X, Montreal’s Deep Breath, and the Swiss artist Vendredi Sur Mer.
Bunny X — “Never Give You Up”
I always look forward to new material from Brooklyn’s Bunny X — whether it’s the Italo Disco revival for which they were originally known or their ongoing foray into synthwave. Their latest, the propulsive and hook-laden “Never Give You Up,” produced with longtime collaborator Gosteffects, occupies the darker side of the band that we heard on 2023 album, Love Minus 80. The mid-tempo beat propels the simmering synths and gorgeous vox into the stratosphere. Flying atop is a vocal hook you’ll be humming long after the song’s final note. Out now via Aztec.
Vendredi sur Mer — Malabar Princess
Charline Mignot’s retro-modern, Francophonic project has been on repeat for me since I first heard her 2019 debut album, Premiers Émois, a few years ago. (Curiously, I’ve never written about her music.) Her latest album, Malabar Princess, is keeping my interest alive. Mignot’s ode to her native Switzerland is a gorgeously composed blend of propulsive grooves, beautiful soundscapes, and soul-enriching airy vocals. The record traverses a few different moods, fueled by the spirit of French Chanson . The catchy, Caroline Polachek-goes-new-wave “Lola Les Yeux Fermés” (“Lola With Her Eyes Closed”) is a tightly contained but nevertheless majestic cut I’ll be listening to forever, with complementary number “Tout Résonne” (“Everything Resonates”) joining the party. The syncopated “Encore Une Fois” (“Once Again”) hits right at your core — the sheer beauty of the presentation and the particularly wistful chord progression are the type of sonics that activate your humanity at the subatomic level. Out now via A+LSO, a Sony France imprint. Also, she’s gonna be on tour in Europe quite soon.
Deep Breath — Inhale/Exhale
Montreal-based Tess Roby, a Vehlinggo fixture for several years (both solo and with Dawn to Dawn), is back with a new project with her longtime partner Hugo Bernier. Deep Breath’s aptly named songs “Inhale” and “Exhale” are beautifully minimal downtempo electronic numbers with a lot of breathing room and some ear-magnet synthesizer journeys. The bass parts have the size and warmth of analogue. The pads and arpeggios flutter with a spectral quality. Roby’s voice on “Inhale” is quiet, tempered, and somehow still massive. I really hope Roby and Bernier are cooking up an entire LP, because this is exactly the type of music a lot of us need right now. Out now via Roby’s SSURROUNDSS label.
