One of our favorite acts is back with new music!

Antwerp-based rapper Jay Atohoun and singer-producer Willem Ardui (aka blackwave.) has returned, and they're on fire. They have released their new single "recluse," a velvet, swanky track accompanied by a video directed by Michiel Venmans and Jaan Stevens.

"While the process of making ‘recluse’ started about two years ago, the content of it is as relevant as ever to us. It encompasses a lot," says the duo. "Among other things it’s about feeling isolated, it’s about love and loss, it’s about looking inward and trying to understand yourself. These are themes we were dealing with prior to the pandemic, but came to the surface even more during all of it."

They add: "We worked on the song restlessly for the last months, ever-changing the arrangement, redoing vocal recordings, re-harmonizing different parts… It was a journey. Sound-wise we were really inspired by '70s soul like Curtis Mayfield and Al Green. Listening to those records made us experiment with different recording and mixing techniques like sending the drums through vintage tape and echo machines to get that warm, retro sound."

Check out the video below.