House Playlist: Wild Nothing, Zebra Katz, & Blood Orange

The bait and switch of the year so far can be found in the first 30 seconds of Zebra Katz’s irresistibly spare song.

House Playlist: Wild Nothing, Zebra Katz, & Blood Orange

Wild Nothing, “Nowhere.” While “Nowhere” features Jack Tatum’s distinct vocals, the tracks’ production and overall instrumentation are obviously upgraded from the likes of the echo-y Golden Haze EP, the last batch of songs Tatum released under his Wild Nothing moniker. Surprisingly, “Nowhere” is downright jangle-pop, with a twangy, lighthearted tone that’s miles away from the C86-inspired jams of Tatum’s past work. With a hint of twee sentimentality, a dash of accordion chic, and a little help from Twin Sister’s dainty-voiced Andrea Estella, “Nowhere” calls for constant reminders that it’s not a Tatum side project, simply Wild Nothing heading in a new, conceivably wonderful direction. Mike LeChevallier

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Zebra Katz feat. Njena Reddd Foxxx, “I’ma Read.” As far as I’m concerned, the bait and switch of the year so far can be found in the first 30 seconds of Zebra Katz’s irresistibly spare “I’ma Read.” Delivered by a voice that comes off like Barry White possessed by the spirit of Esther Rolle, the opening refrain syncopates around a coy lyrical elision: “I’ma [blank] that bitch.” The propulsively fast beats give you little doubt as to what he’s gonna do to that bitch. Except you’re wrong. “I’ma read that bitch/I’ma take that bitch to college/I’ma give that bitch some knowledge.” If ball culture stresses passing, this fierce track is the finest entrance of the night. Eric Henderson
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Blood Orange, “Champagne Coast (Mike Simonetti Remix).” Blood Orange’s already brilliant “Champagne Coast” gets the full Italians-Do-It-Better treatment with deep, heavy synths and a delectable retro coating courtesy of former Jersey hardcore punk turned Italo-disco revivalist Mike Simonetti. It’s a good match, since both Simonetti and indie-chameleon Dev Hynes (a.k.a. Blood Orange) have perpetual love affairs with decades past, and now “Coast” has Simonetti’s ’80s throwback magic splattered all over it. Par for the course with a Simonetti re-edit, he hasn’t change a lot here; he’s just kicked things up a notch, mainly with a bouncy four-on-the-floor kick and a thumping resonant synth-bass. Kenny McGuane

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