Low, ambient tunes to fit any occasion. Perfect for that post-getting-stood-up-at-Fazolis-on-Valentines-Day lull

Deviate is back with Vol. 2 of Deviate & Chill. This time, even more chill, more personal, and more Layzi (you’ll get it). The perfect playlist to sip your shitty Folgers ground coffee with a splash of almond milk to.

I was able to chat with Joni, John Alpine, and Layzi regarding the backstory behind their respective songs. See below for their comments! For the second time, great humans AND great artists.

Joni – Blueless Bird

Joni could have been one of the best kept secrets back in 2015. Since then, she’s built up a loyal fan base, all who are drawn to her cool, relaxed vibe. We ourselves went back to 2015 and dug up her hit single “Blueless Bird,” which just passed 1.9M streams last month. Joni shared this note with us:

“Blueless Bird was one of those rare songwriting moments when the lyrics and melodies came out of nowhere and almost fully formed within minutes. It was one of the first times that my producers (Noise Club) and I started to experiment with drum machines and synths which was sort of a breakthrough for me, since I was mostly playing with acoustic instruments up until that point. I remember thinking it would just be this little oddball track with colorful words and I’m still surprised by the amount of people who have connected with it. My friend Steven Rogers is the amazing guitarist who recorded the solo at the end.”

If you like “Blueless Bird,” there’s more Joni content on it’s way!

Jon Alpine – Lift

John’s music stands out to me in a sea of bedroom lo-fi/house producers because of how effortless he makes it look. You HAVE to go to his Instagram page to see what I mean: John posts a live “Sketch” almost every week and gives it it’s own individual theme. One aspect that sticks out to me is how ever-changing his sound is. “Lift” is my personal favorite and has racked up a humble 30K streams. He had this to say about the track:

“I started composing “Lift” during the George Floyd protests, as things seemed to really be coming to a head in this country. Peaceful protesters were getting teargassed every night in Seattle, and the pandemic had already taken a huge emotional toll on everyone. And I remember thinking: how much worse can this get? I was feeling deep despair at times, but I also saw glimmers of hope. So I wrote Lift to try and capture that feeling of hope, the determination that things can and will get better, even in the darkest times. I wrote it to cheer myself up, to remind people that we can get through this, and that better times are ahead.”

Layzi – Different

Massachusetts-own Carissa Myre, aka Layzi, lures you in with her soft vocals and guitar-backed melodies. Fresh off her self titled EP, Layzi is set for a busy year. I’m a huge fan of her 2020 track “Different” because of how she spins such blunt lyrics into a laid back masterpiece. Layzi spoke with us on the backstory to her track “Different”:

“Different” is the first song I ever fully wrote and recorded back in 2018. I recorded the demo with just my acoustic guitar, GarageBand, and a snowball mic. When I wrote it I had just gone through a sudden breakup with someone who strung me along for about two years on and off. The lyrics are raw and straight forward. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for them, but I was totally head over heels. Every time they came back they would pull the same stuff; say and do things that made me feel secure in the relationship we had, just to leave soon thereafter. The newly recorded version of Different, released in 2020, was recorded at 37ft Productions in Rockland, MA. I had the pleasure of working with Lucas Delisle who engineered and mixed the song, and Zach Bloomstein who mastered it. Lucas is a frequent collaborator who will be featured on my upcoming album.

Deviate & Chill Tracklist:

Kota The Friend – Pomegranate
Mild Minds – SWIM
Lucy Park – Rain
Mk.gee – You
Joni – Blueless Bird
Kllo – Nylon
Jon Alpine – Lift
Laxcity – Good Morning
SiR – D’Evils
Layzi – Different
Cosmo’s Midnight – Confidence (feat. Woodes)
Swell – I’m sorry (feat. shiloh)

****Will be updated on a quarterly basis****