Los Angeles-based artist/vocalist/producer ayokay has joined forces with indie-pop duo slenderbodies for a euphoric new single called “Waiting For.” Out now via Astralwerks and accompanied by a gorgeously surreal video, “Waiting For” fuses ayokay’s boundary-pushing and emotionally charged electronic pop with slenderbodies’s warmly textured, guitar-infused sound.
The latest in a series of singles that mark ayokay’s most visionary work to date, “Waiting For” encompasses an irresistible sonic palette: radiant synth lines, bright and bouncy beats, heavenly harmonies, crystalline guitar tones. In a departure from the heavy-hearted longing of tracks like “I Still Need You” — a September release that surpassed 1.7 million streams in just over a month, landed on coveted playlists like Spotify’s Chill Tracks, and earned heavy rotatation on SiriusXM’s Chill — the song takes on a fantastically carefree mood perfectly reflected in ayokay’s wispy falsetto.
Directed by Jonah George, the video for “Waiting For” continues the narrative first begun with the episodic visuals for “Better With You” and “I Still Need You.” Starring ayokay and actress Anna Verstyuk, the previous videos found their protagonist encountering an enigmatic woman who’s created a computer system that allows her to enter into another reality. This time around, the two characters appear in a fantasy world where the trees and flowers bloom an unearthly pink and the sky shines an ultravivid blue. As ayokay and his companion wander that hyper-saturated landscape, the otherworldly beauty of the environment becomes increasingly unsettling, despite its magical quality.
Now at work on a new album (due out later this year), ayokay made his Astralwerks debut with “Better With You” — a July release that drew praise from the likes of E!, who hailed it as an ideal choice for „fans of Harry Styles’s Fine Line or Zedd’s ‘Stay the Night.‘“ In addition to working on his latest batch of music, the in-demand producer recently executive-produced Quinn XCII’s fourth studio album Change of Scenery II and lent his production talents to albums from Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker.