the latest single from oakland afro indie pop band bells atlas is pure hotness. #soundcheck

While Brooklyn wasn’t paying attention, Oakland seems to have snuck up and stolen our crown as the center of adventurous independent music. Between The Seshen and the new Bells Atlas (not to mention longtime favorites like The Coup and Blood Sugar X), saying “we’re from Oakland” is turning into shorthand for “you haven’t heard shit like this before…”

Bells Atlas’ latest single “Loving You Down” is a beautiful burst of indie pop with Afrobeat overtones. Syncopated rhythms and gentle vibraphone writhe underneath lead singer Sandra Lawson-Ndu’s breathy seduction. The band layers percussion and vocals each on top of each in an ever expanding mess of hotness, until the track simply melts away.
The band is working on their debut full length, due out Summer 2013.

– Words by Nathan Leigh