Los Angeles-based artist Sun Kin keeps his brand of house music refreshingly alternative: with his new single “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” featuring syrupy electric guitar leads, Caribbean rhythms, and a sugary pop aesthetic, he is very much in vogue. In the breaks in rhythm, Sun Kin uses his sharp vocals to keep the dreamy, watery texture of the music going, rippling as the beat returns. “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” is the lead single from Sun Kin’s upcoming record After the House, out on February 12th. For the type of house music that chills the mind while firing up the body’s movement, stream “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” below. - René Cobar

Oakland-based alt-pop artist Sun Kin just released the single “IDKY” off forthcoming LP Private Time. Kabir Kumar, the India-born artist behind the music, seeks to point out what he calls the “shallowness of algorithmic music selection” that we’re surrounded by. Kin creates bedroom pop songs heavy on the organs with earnest lyrical inflections. Says the track: “When it’s the date of the show/Just simply act like you know/It’s okay to be admired/And while you’re sharing your screen/You must pretend like you have seen/The confidence of a paycheck.” Where the song really shines is in the composition with special praise to those horns and percussion. The full LP is full of catchy soulful pop songs with special guests sprinkled throughout. Sun Kin releases Private Time on January 17th, where they’ll be playing The Starline Social Club. -Lucille Faulkner 

Photo: Ginger Fierstein

Sun Kin is the project of Oakland-based Kabir Kumar, a baroque indie pop project with psychedelic sensabilities. Kumar’s most recent release is the single “Honey, I’m Whole” (streaming below), which is a tribute to his grandmother. The tender lyricism of the song is contrasted with the upbeat arrangements, delivering a heavy dose of nostalgia that is much more sweet than it is bitter. In Kumar’s own words, “This song is about wishing that someone you’ve loved forever could meet someone you just fell in love with.” - Lilly Milman