French newcomer Praa has been making gentle ripples among the online music community with her equally gentle sound, one that’s blended R&B, soul, pop and electronica with that exquisite touch that the French seem to instinctively possess. We could happily file Praa alongside Christine & the Queens or Her, who in their own ways all share an eclectic approach to songwriting, with Praa calling on her past experience in psych-rock, folk, and neo-soul projects. It’s the last of these genres that comes through the strongest in ‘Y’, but you can’t help love those retro guitars and programmed beats of a more psychedelic ilk. The woozy nature of the track reflects the “uneasiness of our generation,” as Praa goes on the explain, “We tend to lose true relationships over virtual ones. Here but not here, hearing people not listening, seeing the world but not looking at it. I feel like we’re losing each other and it’s terrifying me."  The whole production flows with a palpable atmosphere, and it’s amplified in the français-noir video which was filmed in New York and despite the dark context of ‘Y’, the experience led Praa to a new revelation. As the artist recalls: “So we shot, we shot, we trusted each other, we listened to each other, we open our hearts to each other. And then after a few hours, we had the clip for Y in our hands, a rather dark song that is about losing real relationships over virtual relationships. But that night, they proved the opposite. It’s all about people, people and love.” The dual aspect of Praa’s song and visual shows that although it’s easy to lose touch with reality thanks to screen-blindness, within the right context, we still have the ability to find real human connection and to achieve more than we could on our own. - Hannah Thacker