Like every year, our lists don’t have the pretention to be objective, or exhaustive. We only list the favourite releases of our staff. Also, we probably forgot some very cool stuff and we’re sorry about that. Before unveiling our favourite albums and tracks of 2019, here are the 20 EPs and mixtapes that made our year, as well as a Spotify playlist to (re)discover all these projects.

20. Liss – “Second”

19. Ana Roxanne – “~~~”

18. Chela – “Delivery”

17. Kilo Kish – “REDUX”

16. Andy Stott – “It Should Be Us”

15. Malibu – “One life”

14. Cherushii & Maria Minerva – “Cherushii & Maria Minerva”

13. Hana Vu – “Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway”

12. Toro y Moi – “Soul Trash”

11. Christelle Bofale – “Swim Team”

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10. Jackie Mendoza – “LuvHz”

9. Kate Bollinger – “I Don’t Wanna Lose”

8. Kate Teague – “Kate Teague”

7. Magdalena Bay – “mini mix vol. 1”

6. NOIA – “CRISÀLIDA”

5. MUNYA – “Blue Pine”

4. Saeyers – “Saeyers EP”

3. Sandy – “Traces”

2. Dear Japan – “Hollow Hearted Hands”

1. Charlotte Adigéry – “Zandoli”

Filipino-Australian alternative pop artist Chelsea Wheatley, better known as Chela, recently announced the release of her new EP with the amazing and swirling synth-pop track “Losing Belief“. The Los Angeles-based musician is now back with another captivating offering, “Heart O’ Hearts”, which was co-produced by Le Bruce in her home city of Melbourne. A retro-inspired song about Manichaean internal conflicts, “Heart O’ Hearts” is an instant earworm with its energetic combination of shimmering synth riffs and shiny refrains. About the meaning of the track, she explained:

[su_quote]I wrote this song about inner conflict resolution, the good vs. the evil, the positive voice in one ear reckoning with the negative on the other side. It’s a mantra for quieting down the dark side of yourself.[/su_quote]

In between rejection and acceptation, this dichotomy is palpable in the accompanying video which was directed, choreographed and styled by Chela herself. Watch below.

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Australian-Filipino alt-pop artist Chelsea Wheatley, better known as Chela, obviously prioritizes quality over quantity. Since the release of her breakout single “Romanticise” in 2013, she has only unveiled a few songs but things are going to change. Following up on her 2018’s collaborative track with Banoffee, “Shut You Up,” she’s now back on her own with a new banger, “Losing Belief,” and the announcement of a new EP due this Fall.

Although Chela‘s “Losing Belief” was motivated by love desperation, it sounds like “a mantra for those who lose belief in anything and need to be reminded that their own power is all they really need,” according to the artist. Indeed, the pulsating beats, as well as the vigorous waves of synths, give the song an empowering aura and the necessary force to believe in yourself without any kind of external validation. The track also comes with a clip which was directed and choreographed by Chela herself. About the video, she explained:

[su_quote]I wanted to convey the message of the song through the video, and represent it in the form of religion. So I created an imaginary religion based on my logo and conceived the story of a friendship group losing belief/realising the power of self together. With the help of my friends we managed to throw together a high-production idea on a DIY budget on one beautiful day in Perth at my family house on the beach. It was a particularly special experience being able to film in a home that is so close to my heart, surrounded by the walls that have seen my life in stages. Religion has been an extremely hot topic in my family, both my Granddad and Dad have written books about it. So in a sense, this was my way to contribute. [/su_quote]

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