Torii MacAdams once scored 13 points in 33 seconds
Mainstream dance music is ruled by “The Drop,” a trite aural trope that’s supposed to signify moments of ecstasy (The feeling, or, sure, the drug.) or catharsis. The Drop is, emotionally, paint-by-numbers. “Papaya Lipgloss,” a collaboration between Night Slugs co-owner Bok Bok and label new-boy Sweyn Jupiter, does the opposite.
Despite the suffix, “(Club Mix),” it feels more about the club than for the club. “Papaya Lipgloss” is airy, but not sterile, the bass pounds, but it’s submerged in the shallow end of a tinnitus swimming pool. This is the feeling of airing out your sweaty torso, of sipping at the dregs of your drink, of trying to ignore your tired feet and sore back. What gives “Papaya Lipgloss” life is Jupiter’s keyboarding, which lands on the proper side of adventurous: loose, not dithering.
“Papaya Lipgloss” and Sweyn Jupiter usher in a new era for Night Slugs. Night Slugs and Jupiter appear a perfect fit; Jupiter’s a Londoner, mostly unknown, and has done strong work in the past as part of production duo BRTSH KNIGHTS*. He and this past-December’s debutant Neana, are a welcome injection of new blood to the label, which was in danger of stagnating. With “Papaya Lipgloss” and the forthcoming Jam City full-length Dream A Garden, Night Slugs is carrying momentum into the second half of the decade.
*See: “South of the River,” a collaboration with Lofty305.
