California-based artist Melissa Ann Sweat isn’t entirely new to the music industry game. She’s been releasing music under her alias Lady Lazarus for little more than a decade now and still managed to fly under our radar. Her next album Impossible Journey Of My Soul Tonight is already her fourth full-length so technically she’s not a newcomer like many artists we feature here in our Listen AHEAD Playlist but if you aren’t aware of your art yet her freshly released new single might change that.

I Know What It Feels Like is a haunting and reduced piece of ambient folk, a gentle lullaby that reminds us a bit of Grouper‘s work but also resembles the notion of Cat Power or Bill Callahan. It’s the reduced simplicity that makes this whole thing so mesmerizing. It forces the listener to take a short break (it’s barely three minutes long) and let the song’s emotion take over. The first single of Lady Lazarus‘ new record is the culmination of Sweat’s long personal, creative, and spiritual journey as she says and it’s a haunting invitation to not only discover this new album which arrives on October 18 but maybe also to dive a bit deeper into her past discography. There are probably way more treasures waiting for you down this path.


Every Monday we’re updating the 50-track-strong Listen AHEAD Playlist on Spotify, adding ten strong songs by sill relatively unknown artists at the beginning. This week’s new picks also include fresh songs from Twen, Weird Milk, Helen and Jae Tyler who we also introduced to you recently. Follow the playlist right here on Spotify and give them a spin.