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”

[su_spacer]

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”

It’s not everyday we’re delivered standout music by way of Dropbox, but Chaz Bear – aka Toro Y Moi – has never been an “everyday” sort of artist. While there are plenty of highlight tracks on his Soul Trash mixtape, all with titles that sound like an error code, “b_elijah_therapy_v2” rises to the top as one of Chaz’s most exciting forays into full-fledged hip-hop to date.

Off-kilter 808’s kick off the track, quickly giving way to a sparkly hook marked by some uncharacteristically audacious lyrics: “Man this vision got me startin’ up a biz / Why you think I got a space this big / Now I come off arrogant /Said too much like you my therapist”. This more or less marks the end of Chaz’s vocal work on the track, with the rest of the responsibility falling on newcomer Elijah Kessler, a singer and rapper from Santa Monica. Despite an unfamiliar name, it’s hard to imagine a better fit for the crunchy, synth-soaked beat, as Elijah skips across the track with veteran agility while keeping things melodic and sleek.

Long-time fans and Toro Y Moi virgins alike would be remiss not to dive into the sounds and sights (there’s a short film) of Soul Trash. Catch a vibe – God knows Chaz makes it easy.

“b_elijah_therapy_v2” is now featured on our Best Tracks of 2019 playlist.