Chicago’s most exciting new R&B force, HXRY, is having a year defined by his debut project and a swatch of singles and features, just as he’s having a year defined by his work redefining the self-made texture of Soul music’s next heading. His aesthetic is one that allows his unique vocalism to play instrument at the same time that it plays poet’s pen, leaving his work suspended in emotion-evoking, thought-provoking balance. And his newest single, featuring frequent collaborator, Aaliyah Allah – who herself is a force of burgeoning Chicago R&B primed for an explosive emergence of her own – is another inventive, emotional exhibition of their individualistic, incredibly cohesive sounds.

 

IZ U DOWN is timeless R&B by its nature – unendingly emotive and summertime sweet. But, it’s also the work of a Neo-Soul futurist, hellbent on utilizing the unique production capabilities at his fingertips to bring a new direction of R&B into frame. For anyone searching for some warm-weather romanticism to sound track your Summer months, look no further. And if you must get more, look into both that catalogues of HXRY & Aaliyah Allah, who never fail to bring the most soulful of emotions to our ear.