Bleep

Rising R’n’B starlet Kelela returns with the first foretaste of her upcoming Hallucinogen EP, set to be released in May. ‘A Message’ was co-written by flagship producer Arca, the pair has been working on the single since 2012. It deploys Arca’s signature sounds such as subtle kick drums, spartan percussion and choral synths, but it’s really the track’s dramaturgy that makes it work so well: its caesuras build up tension that you wouldn’t expect from a downtempo song like this, Kelela’s clear, distinctive voice stands out beautifully against the saturated synth background. Her debut album is set to be released this fall, and we can’t wait.