In the diverse realms of experimental R&B and ever-emergent Neo-Soul exist some of today’s most key artists who represent not only the future of the vocally-driven traditions, but also the fate of the love song. When April + VISTA released their 2018 album, You Are Here, experimentally driven ballads of love and lust were permanently changed. The producer-vocalist duo fond of left-of-center beats and a nonconformist aesthetic built upon elements of preexisting music styling – hip-hop, R&B, soul, electrofunk – without belonging to any predetermined space specifically, are an enigma. 

 

As is McClenney. Formerly Chris McClenney, the all-in-one artist fond of organic instrumentation and unfairly pristine vocalism has been quietly releasing a steady stream of genre-bending singles since the release of his 2017 debut album, Portrait in Two. This year alone have come SOS, a delightfully uplifting love song and now Love in the Sky which somehow merges his talent with that of April + VISTA. 

 

The collaboration is perfectly balanced, allowing McClenney, April + VISTA to each do their thing in equal measure of one another. VISTA and McClenney set the stage with a dreamy, synth-inspired beat that floats effortlessly through the mind’s most romantic corners. And in two of those corners each to their own, McClenney and April divulge in piercing vocals and a greater tale of love and lust that would soundtrack the most *enjoyable* of anyone’s nights. Highlighted by his emotional falsetto takes and an impossibly smooth chorus, McClenney’s part is separated from April’s by a quick key breakdown. 

 

When April takes her turn, eventually to be harmonized by McClenney, the track, the lust, and the fate of the love song are rounded out. By the sounds of it, the future is in safe hands, and we’ll get a chance to hear more as McClenney’s sophomore album, I’m Not Here, is due out in short order.