Javelin, “Vibrationz”

The indie micro-genre “chillwave” began as a joke -- a music critic’s ironic comment on ‘80s nostalgia and the resulting hazy glow of synths and washed-out cassette tape loops that inspired The Wiire readers to look up the word “hypnagogic.” But its features have started to coalesce into something less think piece–inspiring and more like straight-up R&B. Not that anyone would mistake the three-minute, one word loop of “Vibrationz” for Trey Songz, but its slap-bass synths and tinkling toy piano melody wouldn’t sound out of place behind a diva just slightly more bubblegum than Javelin’s Tom van Buskirk and George Langford. As the track breezes by, the vocals dip to intone the song’s title and a dreamy series of “ooohs.” It’s a weightless little summer jam worth keeping around in the off-seasons. -- Eric Grandy

"Vibrationz" Javelin