Sunday Spin: New Releases From Thuy, CHANYEOL, Manica, and Wasia Project
Sunday Spin is EnVi‘s weekly new music showcase, where we bring you the hottest global hits in our curated playlist. Join us every Sunday for new music that sets the perfect tone for your upcoming week.
Welcome to the first Sunday of September โ you know what that means! Team EnVi is back with another Sunday Spin, bringing you the freshest tracks to jumpstart your month. Get ready to dive into the latest sounds that will keep your playlist vibrant and your mood elevated!
Wasia Project – โSomebody Come Throughโ
Brother and sister duo, Wasia Project consisting of William Gao and Olivia Hardy, have released their sophomore EP ISOTOPE. On the heels of their opening spot for fellow jazz and alt-pop musician Laufey, and ahead of their own headline tour, the siblings found time to craft an artistic album that tells the story of love, loss, and longing through a mix of soulful melodies and introspective lyrics. The duo described their music as โa mix of jazz, pop, a little bit of indie, and bedroom popโ in an interview with EnVi.
Coming in the middle of the EP, โSomebody Come Throughโ showcases Hardyโs haunting vocals as she expresses the confusion and vulnerability that come with navigating unrequited feelings. The track captures the universal struggle of deciphering mixed signals, with Hardy lamenting, โTell me why the way you look at me is so confusing,โ and grappling with the frustration of being caught in an endless loop of emotional highs and lows. The melancholic melody paired with the poignant lyrics creates a relatable atmosphere, drawing listeners into the depths of emotional turmoil. Itโs a raw and reflective moment on the album, showing the duoโs ability to translate complex narratives into captivating music.
CHANYEOL – โBlack Outโ
12 years into their fruitful career, nearly every EXO member can now say theyโve released a solo album. While EXOโs group releases are known to range anywhere from pop to funk to R&B, and more, theyโre still very consistent and on brand with the groupโs image. Their solo endeavors, however, have been even more expansive, diverse, and eclectic across the board โ theyโre like snapshots of each person and how they see themselves outside of EXO. The latest to drop his โsnapshotโ is Chanyeol with his debut EP, Black Out.
โBlack Out,โ the eponymous single, fits right into Chanyeolโs wheelhouse. Although the 31-year-old is positioned as EXOโs main rapper, his personal sound has always lived within this dreamy acoustic bubble, offering a more intimate and subdued side of the Chanyeol weโve come to know in EXO. This is reinforced by the calming pop-rock edge in โBlack Out,โ a track comparing the numbness of a post-breakup experience to an actual blackout. In the press conference held the same day as his album release, Chanyeol stated: โThe protagonist, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, experiences a sense of disorder in daily life, likened to a darkened street or a phone screen that turns off without any notification.โ A misconception in K-pop is that title tracks need to be this big, outlandish event when in reality, itโs okay to pull back and just let your song resonate with whoever needs it most โ leave it to Chanyeol to understand the assignment.
Thuy – โCloud 11โ
Vietnamese-American singer Thuy has come a long way since her California cover days in 2015. From having a critically acclaimed single in 2022 with โGirls Like Me Donโt Cryโ to becoming the first Vietnamese-American female artist to perform at Coachella, Thuy has quickly become the pop/R&B girl to watch. With dove-like vocals and a feathery-soft aura to match, Thuyโs latest single, โCloud 11,โ hits right on the nose as it sweeps you off to the nearest cotton candy pillow in the sky.
โPush me over the edge, not afraid of the fall,โ Thuy sings in the trackโs opening line. โAnd I come with angels and demons but you want it all.โ In a candy-coated dream of wonder, โCloud 11โ flawlessly encapsulates that deliriously hazy feeling of falling in love head first. When someone accepts and loves you, flaws and all, itโs hard to remember which way is up or down โ all you know is that youโre floating on air for what feels like an eternity. If youโre in the mood for a sweet trip down loverโs lane, do yourself a favor and let โCloud 11โ be your tour guide.
Manica – โWorst Best Friendโ
Sometimes those closest to you are the ones who hurt you the most, and for Thai bedroom-pop singer, songwriter, and producer, Manica, that couldnโt ring anymore true. Nothing hurts more than falling deeply for someone knowing they will never return your feelings; struggling to maintain that familiar bond while your feelings run rampant. Manica talks all about it on her latest single, โWorst Best Friend,โ detailing the complexities of friendship and love. Over a soft production paired with emotional lyrics, โWorst Best Friendโ is a heartbreak anthem.
Manica is a versatile artist from Thailand, maneuvering genres like R&B, city-pop, and bedroom-pop to create her repertoire. Creating music that comes from the heart coupled with her heartfelt vocals, Manica is all about self-discovery and empowerment to inspire her audience.
Socials: IG | TK
CHUNG HA – โAlgorithmโ
With social media playing an essential role in our daily lives, thereโs been a lot of talk about algorithms over the years โ mostly how they reflect our interests and can sway us from one trend to the next. Thatโs exactly what K-pop artist CHUNG HA strives to do in her latest single, appropriately titled, โAlgorithm.โ In this infectiously rhythmic pop-dance track, CHUNG HA sings of being drawn into a potential love interest like a moth to a flame. Their fated love is compared to a predetermined algorithm, pulling them closer until the stars finally align.
โYou appeared so suddenly like a click, your twinkling eyes make me kinda weak / They say Iโm way too fast, does time matter? / Iโm enjoying this feeling right now, alright,โ CHUNG HA sings. The music video follows this same fun and whimsical vibe throughout, with the singer interacting with a mystery man through social media and participating in several TikTok trends to catch his eye. Itโs no secret that CHUNG HA already thrives under this house genre, but โAlgorithmโ is sure to spread across your feed like wildfire.
Socials: IG | TK | X | YT
Otis Zheng – โMango Sticky Riceโ
Craving a sweet and refreshing treat perfect for any season? So is Otis Zheng, but donโt worry, heโs got you covered. Boston-based Chinese singer, songwriter, and producer, Otis Zheng, released his latest single โMango Sticky Rice,โ on August 30. Trust us, itโs just as sweet as it sounds! With a funky and fresh pop-production coupled with airy falsettos, Zheng gives us a summer bop perfect for all the romantics that is an instant earworm. Equating his loverโs kiss to the delicious Thai dessert, Zheng lays in on the clever wordplay as he croons โMango sticky rice, little sour, sweet, and fresh / Just take a bite / Turn my day so breezy bright.โ
Zheng teased the music video on his socials and it captures the vibe of the track perfectly. With Zheng himself the focus, heโs seen singing into a mic while clutching a mango that is animated like a beating heart. Dancers surround him in quirky, fuzzy outfits with moody lighting throughout. He dedicates this song to those โwho have ever sacrificed themselves for love,โ he writes on his Instagram. Love is a lot more like mango sticky rice than we think: being obsessed and unable to think of nothing else but the euphoria that fills you at the thought? He hit the nail right on the head!
Maki – โNamumulaโ
Filipino singer-songwriter Maki returns with his new single โNamumula,โ following the success of his chart-topping viral hit โDilaw.โ While โDilaw,โ which translates to yellow, celebrates self-love and empowerment, โNamumulaโ โ meaning reddening or blushing โ explores the emotional complexities of those who find themselves irresistibly drawn to relationships despite the glaring warning signs of red flags. The pop track, infused with pop-rock influences, is elevated by Makiโs smooth vocals
With โNamumula,โ Maki delves into the bittersweet reality of hopeless romantics who chase after love, even when the path ahead seems fraught with potential heartache. By contrasting the themes of his two singles, Maki highlights the multifaceted sides of love, capturing its uplifting moments and its more vulnerable, uncertain sides.
Fans can look forward to hearing โNamumulaโ performed live at Makiโs debut solo concert on November 29.
Gentle Bones – โb.o.m.bโ
Singaporean singer-songwriter Gentle Bones, known for his velvety R&B-tinged vocals, returns with โb.o.m.b.,โ the third in a series of singles released this summer. Following โforever!โ in July and โi like that you like itโ in early August, the trilogy seems to signify a new era for the artist. The new track, โb.o.m.b,โ blends his smooth vocal delivery with subtle Afrobeats influences, offering a fresh take on his evolving sound.
Lyrically, โb.o.m.bโ explores the intimate and dreamy moments shared between a couple. With lines like โI love it when you put your body on my bodyโ it captures the essence of late-night connections. The production supports this theme with catchy rhythms and melodies that complement the warmth of Gentle Bonesโ voice.
Following โb.o.m.b,โ fans can look forward to what Gentle Bones has in store next.
AleXa – โjoy of missing outโ
Youโve heard of FOMO, now get ready forโฆJOMO? While many extroverted people suffer from fear of missing out on special events and parties with their friends, others actually prefer to keep their distance and stay home alone. Yes, weโre celebrating all the introverts out there with Korean-American artist AleXa and her latest single, โjoy of missing out.โ As an extrovert herself, it seems AleXa would much rather own the spotlight rather than shy away from it. But instead of centering herself as the life of the party, she dedicates this heavy-hitting pop-punk track to her more reserved friends and fans.
โI, myself, am an extrovert, but Iโm the only one in my friend group,โ AleXa stated in a press release. โThis song goes out to all those whoโd rather party by themselves than get lost in the crowd.โ With crunchy vocal distortions and a blazing electric guitar in the background, โjoy of missing outโ is easily an anthem for when youโre alone at home with the volume blasting and singingly loudly into a hairbrush. The track serves as her fourth English-language single of 2024 leading up to her upcoming debut English album. If you havenโt already been introduced to AleXa in her rockstar era, now would be the perfect time.
Other tracks in this weekโs Sunday Spin playlist include โGOOD SO BADโ by K-pop boy group ZEROBASEONE, โBookmarkโ by Japanese pop band SEKAI NO OWARI, โBรฌnh Yรชnโ by Vietnamese artist Vu., Woosungโs โDay That I Died,โ โTell the Truthโ by Singaporean singer-songwriter Gen Neo, and โO-HEโ from Bang Yedam. Listen to everything mentioned and more, curated by Team EnVi only for you on Spotify.
Want more of the latest releases? Check out our previous Sunday Spin here!
