Carley Bearden - “Lost in the Summer”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Lorde, Jazmine Sullivan, Ella Mai

Fort Worth artist Carley Bearden augments a neo-soul base with interesting, intricate beats, working over her music like a cooled hip-hop performer, but from a melancholy, bedroom pop angle. Deep trap, trance, and soul fragments turn her ballads into something more mysterious and enticing, a sound both full and haunting across Bearden’s introductory singles. There’s a nice balance of classic soul and futuristic pop here, grooving and straight at its core, but playful and adventurous all around. While slow and tender, Bearden’s music isn’t sad and longing, performed with chill confidence amid jazzy, pocket grooves. Carley Bearden showcases Saturday night at Swan Dive presented by The Color Agent alongside an eclectic mix of hip hop and pop artists. (Kevin McStravick)