Weekly Tune-Up: Vesuvio Solo, Murs and Du Tonc lead a brand new mixtape of the best new music

It’s the final day of October. That means Halloween has arrived, and for me the official start to the holidays is underway; my absolute favorite time of the year. It’s business as usual here at Creative Loafing, which means your 15 song mix tape, packed with all new music awaits you. Come and get some sweet treats!

Du Tonc has returned with “Keep Movin,” another great tune filled with hip swaying grooves and synths. Matthew Haymes and Matt Van Schie are the duo that make-up Du Tonc, they’re responsible for producing woozy indie-rock blended with disco influences. “Keep Movin” is their best example of that to date. This is head nodding at its best.

I’ve been singing my praises about Canada’s very underrated music scene for years, but they just keep surprising me with what seems like endless talent. Vesuvio Solo is part of that endless talent I just spoke of. Fresh off their sophomore LP release Don’t Leave Me in the Dark, we have “Mirror Held to the Flower,” their new single that’s an oddly smooth tune that channels ’70s soft rock and modern synth pop. The song itself has a very warm feel, but they lose me with their lyrics. Nevertheless, I’m sure it makes perfect sense to Vesuvio Solo, and besides it’s one smooth ass track.

NxWorries has been all the rage on the underground hip-hop scene as of late, and for good reason. One part Anderson .Paak, One part Knxwledge equals one hell of a project. Their debut record Yes Lawd! dropped this past Friday and represents what I hope to be a long musical relationship. If you’re a fan of chilled out hip-hop beats, funk samples and soulful hooks, then Yes Lawd! needs to be on your radar. It’s without a doubt one of the finest hip-hop releases of 2016. Paak’s unique, but captivating flow lays right over beats provided by the talented Knxwledge. “Best One” allows Paak to show his range by singing with his raspy croon rather than rapping, a version I much prefer.

WEEKLY TUNE-UP XXXVII (STREAM/DOWNLOAD)

01. Du Tonc, “Keep Movin”
02. Austra, “Utopia”
03. Suburban Living, “Walk Away”
04. DROELOE, “Wake The Warrior”
05. Leif Erikson, “Real Stuff”
06. The Darcys, “Lip Service”
07. Vesuvio Solo, “Mirror Held to the Flower”
08. ISLAND, “A Place Like You”
09. Murs, “Hip Hop & Love”
10. Honeyblood, “Cruel”
11. Sporting Life, “Court Vision” Feat. Evy Jane
12. Anna Straker, “Serious”
13. Jack Grace, “At the River”
14. Shlohmo, “Back House”
15. NxWorries, “Best One”

This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 3, 2016.