There’s a lot of music you miss when you’re ill for a long time. You tend to replay old playlists and seek comfort in familiar albums – effortless and effective. So when I tried to catch up, I found enough good tracks to feel adrift. Here’s my attempt at making sense of at least a small fraction of it. This is NOT a “best of 2014” list – just a tiny collection of some of the pretty little things I missed over the last few months.

1) Airling – “Wasted Pilots”
Brisbane’s Hannah Shepherd makes beautifully dreamy tracks, with almost-childish-like clear vocals that contrast with a surprisingly mature composition. Her EP “Love Gracefully” could be the soundtrack to a mesmerizing sunset in the company of the ones you love the most. It is soft, strong, fragile, sexy and wild, all at the same time.

2) Eyedress – “When I’m Gone (feat. GEoRGiA)”
Idris Vicuña’s witch-house project Eyedress is a bedroom-made project, perfect for bed-ridden days. Idris is a young Filipino producer with an enormous amount of talent and I strongly recommend keeping an eye on him.

http://youtu.be/giBiMtvBsps

3) FKA Twigs – “Video Girl”
I surrender to FKA Twigs. She is such a talented musician, dancer and altogether amazing artist that I never know where to start when I want to describe her. She is beautifully weird. Her incredibly versatile and sensual voice, paired with disconcerting lyrics, convey a unique sense of femininity and frustration, independence and vulnerability. “Video Girl” may not be my favourite track, but it certainly is a powerful one… and the video itself is fabulous, so go ahead and watch it!

4) DEATHS – “Sold”
Dark and deep, this Berlin act should be gathering a lot more followers than it currently is. There is something disturbing and moving about their music, and “Sold” is a great example of the lush synths, unsettling vocals and earthy rhythm that this band is capable of.