There’s a synth in the back half of this that sounds like a kalimba fed through a broken amp, and that one detail is why “Bad Habit” stuck. Jai Wolf built his name on gauzy, festival-sunrise electronic music; “Indian Summer” soundtracked a thousand drone-shot vacation clips, so hearing him lean into something with real grit in the low end is a small thrill. SAYAK DAS matches him with a vocal that’s more ache than showpiece, a little cracked at the edges in a way that suits the whole mood. The drums have a trap skeleton but they’re brushed so soft they barely register as trap, closer to a slow pulse, unhurried and patient. The track never fully commits to being heavy, flirting with a real drop and then pulling back into that shimmery comfort zone, which might just be the honest version of who he is. I kept waiting for it to get mean and it never quite does, and after three listens I stopped wanting it to. Pretty, a little sad, built for the drive home. The kalimba thing is the part I’ll remember.
Jai Wolf, SAYAK DAS is no stranger to this blog. Last time: Jai Wolf & Linney - Afterlife