Heard this blasting out of a passing car before I ever saw the title, which is the correct way to first encounter a track called “Groovy Chick.” It’s an NCS release, that copyright-free pipeline that soundtracks half the internet without ever getting a credit, and every so often something on there is genuinely great rather than merely useful. This is one. The groove is exactly what the name promises: a bouncy, slap-happy bassline and a vocal from Lauren Nicole that struts more than it sings. BEANIE and Gray Hoek keep the production clean and punchy, all air and snap, nothing cluttering up the pocket. It’s disco-adjacent house with a modern gloss, the sort that makes a kitchen feel like a small party for as long as it’s on. There’s a filtered breakdown in the middle that teases the groove away and then hands it straight back, fatter than before. I’ve played it five times writing this paragraph and it hasn’t dulled. Sometimes the free-to-use bargain bin has the actual goods.
January
Chrome Daydream
Chrome stars, jelly hearts and holographic colour. A nod to the glossy, optimistic graphics of the early web.