Don’t be deceived by the title of W//M Records’ recent compilation Waves For the Summer, it almost bears no likeness to other festival and beach-party playlists the season has to offer. However, it gives you the alternative summer sound waves if you are looking for something different.
Having a vision of promoting and sharing music from all countries and all languages, W//M selected 11 tracks by musicians from Japan, Greece, Italy, Germany, China, Hong Kong and the UK.
The opening track Walked Into The Cold Water With You sets the counter-season tone for the mixtape. London-based Japanese musician GRIMM GRIMM makes folk music with an electronic and spacey vibe. The track has a smooth pace change and goes funky in the last bit. His debut album Hazy Eyes Maybe, which is out now under ATP Recordings, is a piece of beautiful melodic electronica.
The first (relatively) ‘warm wave’ cuts through in the middle of the playlist with two indie sounds from Italy. BLAST! TAIKO! PLAYERS!’s Originally We Were All Wise Men on the Moon opens with bright and quick drumbeats and loops with nice lo-fi minimal melody, serves as the first beam of sunshine in the playlist. To push the waves further is Rome-based shoegaze band WEIRD.’s new single Summerbliss, powerful and beautiful noise guitar-pop echos with melancholy.
The biggest surprise is probably The Curtain by HIPERSON, an emerging post-punk band from Chengdu, China. The Chinese lyrics is not the only reason that makes the track stand out. The band’s music arrangement and build-up easily captivate listeners even they don’t understand the language.
W//M has saved us summer for the last. KAVEMURA’s Tropical Winter is perfect for lazy summer afternoons. And I can imagine Hong Kong, where the artist is currently based, has provided an inspiration for this warm, exotic, urban tune. Sharon Q’s dreamy vocal is a gift for the melody. Following is The Best You Can by 19-year-old Italian musician BLANKET FORT. He wrapped up the playlist with pure and fresh acoustic guitar and vocal.
All in all, this is a random summer compilation coming from the East and the West, with different music styles, from electronic to folk, from post-punk to lounge, yet they surprisingly work well together. Everyone will find something they like in Waves For the Summer, whether or not it is related to the season.