We don’t think there will ever be a time when we don’t want to hear from Belgian duo blackwave., aka rapper Jay Atohoun and singer-producer Willem Ardui. With every release, they elevate their old-school, mash-up hip-hop and soul style with the latest proof of their indomitable talent being ‘ARP299’. This next wave of music introduces a more commercial rap sound to the project, although their metaphors are far from what you’d expected. "Arp299 is essentially about running away from everyday life. The title of the song references a galaxy 134 million light-years away, a place so far away from everything you can't even start to imagine it. We felt like this was the right metaphor to use in this track,” says the pair of this new single. The video also hold a powerful message, one that seems to contrast against this desire to get away as we see a group of young people finding joy, camaraderie and celebration in their togetherness. Notably, this is the second visual chapter written by Heleen Declerq and Yaqine Hamzaoui conveying an idealism following the gritty realistic portrayal in the video for ‘Bittersweet Baby’. - Hannah Thacker