In the last five years what we consider ‘pop’ music has changed dramatically. The change has in part been spearheaded by Toronto’s multi-cultural music scene and its biggest exports, Drake Aubrey, The Weeknd and Party Next Door. They’ve introduced a more decadent, unhurried vibe to the genre and helped berth in the mainstream Caribbean inspired melodies that were formerly only present in reggae music and its sub-genres. That distinct brand of island-holiday inspired music, aflush with steel drums in place of traditional percussion and a slower beat, has spread around the world and shows up in singer/producer, Swan Sounds’ new single “Know”.

Smooth as the swaggiest pimp, Swan Sounds woos, completely convinced that we want to ride with him, and it’s not hard to see why. With production credits on “Know” and a sound that marries accents from 90’s R&B (think a female vocalist ad-libbing, her voice strained through a vocoder), contemporary pop sounds and a catch as hell hook, Swan Sounds doesn’t need to do that much work. And he coasts the entire song, never doing too much but also showing us that he’s a capable song writer.

This is definitely the perfect song to begin the summer interlude, all we need now is a boo to woo.

Listen to “Know” here.

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