This week, we’re taking it a little slow. Life can get a bit hectic sometimes, packed with work and school and all the other obligations that keep us on our feet all week, and this week’s theme is a reminder that it’s OK to take a little break. Our playlist this week is packed with songs that are a little bit more lowkey: songs that you can do yoga too or just vibe to with your notifications turned off. However you choose to refill your energy bar, we’ve got you covered.
On & On – SiBi
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South African rapper and singer-songwriter, SiBi, recently released the Riverside EP, and the energy throughout is immaculate. The project is a soulful blend of Trap and alternative R&B, and a standout for me is On & On. It captures that slow, soulful energy of winding down after a long week with a good drink and a long self-care session. It’s a “light some candles, put on something comfortable, pour yourself a glass of something red” kind of song.
River- Ibeyi
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River is an older cut from the Afro-Cuban doom soul duo Ibeyi, but it never really broke into the mainstream the way it deserved, and it’s a truly timeless song. The production is rich, haunting (that’s the “doom” in “doom soul”), a song about washing away your old skin to welcome in new blessings. The song is informed by Ibeyi’s own spiritual practice, and like the river referenced in the lyrics, it will wash away your troubles, even if only for a few minutes.
Life’s Gone Down – The Lijadu Sisters
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This isn’t so much of an older cut as it is a retro cut. The Lijadu Sisters are another criminally underrated duo in the Nigerian music scene, though they definitely made a splash in the 70’s with their highlife-meets-psychedelic-rock sound. It’s almost like a mix of Jimi Hendrix and Fela Kuti, but with lyrics that often centred the modern African Woman’s perspective. Life’s Gone Down Low is funky yet understated, the kind of song that makes you feel like the main character in your own independent film.
Dans la hess – Lous and The Yakuza
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You can’t have a Cool Down playlist without Lous and The Yakuza, the two just go together like Lagos in the summertime and rain. The Belgian-Congolese singer has a natural leaning towards the dark, both in her lyrics and in her overall sound, but I find that in life you have to have a little dark to appreciate the light. I’d recommend her entire Gore album, but Dans la hess is the perfect song for when you just want to be a little emo, because we need that from time to time. It’s OK to just lay in bed and recharge your batteries. You can pick back up when you’re ready, my dear.
Feel Right- SGaWD
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I didn’t feel like this playlist was complete without Feel Right, a song that literally sounds like the way cool water feels. It’s slow, it’s sensual, it’s vulnerable. SGaWD is more well known for her bold rap presence, but on Feel Right she switches it up to deliver smoky vocals about opening your heart up to someone, even when you’ve had bad experiences in the past. Wrapped up in a soft, nostalgic instrumental, Feel Good is an Ode to trust, whether romantic or platonic, and I can’t recommend it enough.
