Ezra Collective featuring Pa Salieu - "Only Love"

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Photo by Sergio Pontier

Ezra Collective are back with a new album due in September, and are teaming with Pa Salieu for a new single. The British jazz collective have always had an Afrobeat sound, and "Only Love" only expands on that sound. This is perfect for music fans that don't "get" jazz. The song has such a strong groove that makes it impossible to not dance. This isn't sit in your chair and enjoy a martini style jazz. This is a party waiting to happen, and you're going to want to get up and start moving to fully enjoy it. That's just the magic and style of Ezra Collective, and you're going to absolutely love this one.

Bandleader Femi Koleoso says of his band's new single:

“Pa Salieu has been a musician that we have long admired in Ezra Collective. Not just because of his incredible lyricism and storytelling but also his ability to weave in his Gambian heritage and roots into such a distinctly UK sound.

"In 2024 we had the beautiful moment playing at Wembley Arena, looking out into the crowd and seeing Pa Salieu dancing and partying with his friends and in that moment, I had the very thought we need to make a song together for this kind of setting. I spent some time studying West African music, studying Gambian music, and let that influence the bassline of this track and the drumbeat. We linked up with Pa in Wood Green and immediately his stories started to flow, he came with a bunch of lyrics that he had from a really hard time he went through, but in those lyrics were so many stories of pain but also beauty, joy and love, and we were trying to find that beautiful place in the middle of those two things, and that's how we came about this song.”

You can watch the video for "Only Love" below. Here Because of Hope is due out September 18 on Partisan Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Ezra Collective, check out the artist on Instagram.

On Repeat...

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Julien Baker & TORRES - "Tuesday"

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Photo by Ebru Yildiz Julien Baker and TORRES teaming up for a country album is one of the true joys of 2025. The pair's latest single, "Tuesday," is fronted by TORRES, and according to the press release is about "... trying to overcome and heal from the guilt, shame and religious abuse that so many people experience discovering their identity and growing up Queer." The song is a twangy, laid back country track that lands somewhere between classic country and modern pop music (but nowhere near the current country pop sound). I'm not typically a lyrics guy and don't normally pay attention to the lyrics of a song until after multiple listens, but the lyrics of "Tuesday" grabbed me immediately upon the first listen. This is the type of song that is going to demand your focus and attention.  You can watch the visualizer for "Tuesday" below. Send a Prayer My Way is due out April 18 on Matador Records, and is available for pre-order here . F...
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