We had a suspicion that Leven Kali had something in his bag, and now we know exactly what it is. The singer-songwriter will be dropping his latest EP, LK99: The Prelude, later this month. The highly anticipated set — which will feature his recent singles “Are U Still,” “Pieces” and “Crystal Ball” — is sure to keep us jamming all summer. But before he sets this party off right, he offers us one more listen with his latest single “Sleepwalking.”
Leven is still in his creative bag for “Sleepwalking,” though this time he hews closer to one genre rather than branching out in several directions. The more focused approach on the self-produced cut leads to one of the bounciest productions we’ve heard so far from the set. It starts nice, hazy and slow with light touches of bass and rhythm guitar on the song’s dreamy intro. Once that’s out of the way, though, he blends a frothy, pop sensibility with a sticky funk groove, creating something quite irresistible.
It’s the ideal sound bed for a song about summer loving, as Leven sings about being put in a daze by his desire for the object of his affections. “Are you feeling what I’m feeling? / Are you seeing what I’m seeing right now? / There’s some writing on the wall / And it’s dancing like I’m dancing with you,” he croons in a dreamy falsetto on the song’s only verse. “I’m closing my eyes / Opened my mind for you / Burning inside / All this desire for you, baby.”
So far, Leven Kali is four for four on the singles front. If the rest of LK99: The Prelude is even half as good, it won’t be leaving our rotation for a good while. We’ll get to find out when the set drops on Friday, June 20th. Until then, run up “Sleepwalking” and watch its psychedelic visualizer when you scroll below.
