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Played Out: Winter is Coming Mix

We’re back with another installment of Played Out, AfterEllen’s weekly playlist, and I managed to pause Taylor Swift‘s 1989 for long enough to find the week’s 10 best new tracks.

As I’m well aware here in in New York, winter is coming. So whether you’ve got a longtime gal or you’re just looking for a seasonal cuddle buddy, it’s time to get your mixtape game tight. This week is all about stepping it up with sexy, sultry and get down tracks. Or you could just loop the Mikky Ekko track on repeat, it’ll work.

Mothxr – “Stranger”

Penn Badgley can’t help it. He’s a pretty sexy dude, he’s a total ally and his Brooklyn based band MOTHXR is putting out some incredibly listenable electronic neo-soul.

Marz Léon – “Levitation”

Since she burst onto the scene in June with L O N E R, Marz Léon has released a handful of excellent tracks. Her latest opens a bit slower, but is no less powerful than her previous efforts while the vocals and piano evoke the lightness of levitation throughout.

BenZel Featuring Ryn Weaver – “Touch”

Japan’s BenZel, the production duo of Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe dropped their EP, MEN, this week and I figured I’d post the whole thing, because it’s all good. Special attention to “Touch” featuring up and coming pop songstress Ryn Weaver.

Girl Friend – “Chemical Reaction”

Smooth crooning on a dancey synth laced track with the occasional sax. Solid mixtape contender. It didn’t hurt that looking at a picture of this Manchester five piece I had to remind myself I wasn’t the lead singer, duh, I’m blonde now.

Vaults – “Poison”

Relatively little information circulates around about London-based Vaults. They just released this hypnotic track ahead of their EP, Vultures, due out December 1st.

Mikky Ekko – “Mourning Doves”

While still probably best known for being featured on Rihanna‘s “Stay” Mikky Ekko’s star has been steadily rising. His debut album, Time, is out January 20th. And good lord let me tell you that voice.

Lorde – “Flicker “(Kanye West Rework)

You guys I really need to chill on how much I love The Hunger Games, but also it’s not my fault that after mentioning how much I liked this song last week that Kanye West himself would rework it and make it darker and sleeker than the original.

Disa – “Sculpture”

Copenhagen’s 25-year-old Disa Jakobs blends spooky with sexy on this swirling minimal track. Who said ominous couldn’t be amorous?

SOAK – “Shuvels”

SOAK is the moniker for Ireland’s 18-year-old singer-songwriter Birdie Monds-Watson with a Rough Trade Records deal. Shuvels is the brooding B side release to her only slightly more uplifting B a noBody track.

Azekel – “Chronophobia”

Yeesh, I’m about to date myself this season with this mixtape. London-based producer Azekel has me feeling all the feels, as it were.

Bonus: “Serial Ball” A Miley Cyrus mashup for the ages.

I don’t quite know how to say this, but I kind of actually like this.

Oh and Serial is incredible storytelling so, like, listen.

For suggestions/comments/concerns/you know, just to chat: @tweetannietweet and @its_me_anne

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