Welcome to the second volume of Freddie’s Finds! Each week I will spotlight 3-4 of my favorite new tracks of the week, ranging from a variety of genres and artists. This week includes Kyle Dion with Tkay Maidza, Olivia Morreale, and Ravyn Lenae.

“HAZY” by Kyle Dion featuring Tkay Maidza

If you know me, you know Tkay Maidza is one of my favorite artists ever, and hearing her team up with Kyle Dion for this spring song during one of the coldest weeks of the year is MUCH needed. The track radiates a euphoric feeling despite it’s exploration of a confusing relationship. The chorus is an affirmation that a lover won’t say “I love you” while the verses exemplify the disarray of the situation. However, one thing is crystal clear – Tkay and Kyle’s voices mesh together incredibly well. I can’t help but smile as they harmonize on the chorus or when they impeccably trade off lines in the outro. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite songs of 2022, and could very well single handedly get me through the rest of the school year.

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“Wasting Daylight” by Olivia Morreale 

It is so difficult to stand out in the pop world, but Olivia Morreale does just that on “Wasting Daylight.” Her jazz influence is apparent on the track, with a self arranged live horn section highlighting the instrumental, while a guitar riff commands the majority.

Between the beautiful backing vocals and the explosion of sound on the chorus followed by a sweet transition into a guitar solo, there are so many stunning parts of the production to pinpoint. Olivia also delivers incredible vocals throughout as she grasps with a difficulty she faces in her own life. Speaking on the track, she said, “As a serial monogamist I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the balance between love and personal relationships and my own ambitions and career goals. I wanted to find a lighthearted way to highlight the tension that can arise between these two forces – I was definitely lyrically inspired by tracks like Emily King’s 'Distance' while trying to put this dynamic into song. It’s an observation made with love, happiness and intent all at once. The production of this track is definitely an emotional reflection of that energy.” Keep an eye out for Olivia Morreale as she continues to grow her sound.

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“Skin Tight” by Ravyn Lenae featuring Steve Lacy

Words can’t describe how excited I am for the upcoming Ravyn Lenae album, expected to arrive later this year. This excitement became even bigger following the release of “Skin Tight” featuring Steve Lacy. It’s a much more melodic track compared to her last solo release, Crush EP. The R&B track features mellower production from Steve Lacy compared to that of the EP. "I wanted to snap people into my world through the sonics, so they can feel how I’ve felt over the past couple of years,” Ravyn said on the sound of the track. “It has those hypnotic elements, but it’s very simple, familiar, and fresh.”

This new sound allows Ravyn’s voice to steal the show, while additional vocals from Steve creates a lovely split first verse as Ravyn grapples with a complex relationship, to say the least. Describing the theme, Ravyn said, “it’s about not being in a relationship with somebody, but still having those physical and mental ties. It speaks to sharing kinetic energy with another person, even if time has passed and you aren’t together anymore.” The track also comes with an incredible animated video directed by Zongbo Jiang that you definitely will not want to miss.

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You can find all my past finds in the playlist below:

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