Not too long ago we drew your attention towards the California producer Emmit Fenn for his arresting collaboration with leading rapper Vic Mensa titled ‘Pouring Rain’. We loved that emotive hip-hop ballad and could have happily taken a whole album of similar material, but Fenn does one even better by exposing an entirely different style in ‘Without You’. By vibing off Drew Love’s rich, soulful vocals, the pair have created a murky R&B track akin to firm TMR favourites RITUAL or Basecamp. The song itself can be interpreted in many different ways, whether it’s someone breaking free from a toxic relationship, someone realising that they shouldn’t be taken for granted, or dealing with heartbreak with a calm, future-facing outlook. As Drew Love puts it, “I feel like it’s a song that rings true to anyone who is going through the roughest part or tail end of a relationship, when you’re just fed up and really don’t have love for the person anymore.” And it’s his honeyed voice which simmers up through the minimalist, bass beats to remind that certain person that “I was doing fine without you, / I was getting by without you, / I ‘ain't gonna die without you.” There’s definitely an organic, floating quality to this production, which most likely stems from the natural, almost effortless, way that this song came about. As Emmit Fenn tells listeners, “There are very few artist that I absolutely love working with, and Drew Love is definitely one of those artist. This man showed up to our session with a bottle of whiskey, and we must of spent the first half just talking and drinking. Then when we finally starting making the song, I don’t think it took us more than an hour to finish, it all just came together super fast, and it was a style that I hadn’t really made before. And then after that we just kicked it and played basketball.” Since recording ‘Without You’ a year ago, Fenn has continued to create music for his forthcoming The Grey Area EP, out soon. - Hannah Thacker