In Rotation: August Charles

Born in Zambia and raised across the UK since he was six years old, August Charles sings like a man who has lived a few different lifetimes. His voice sits in a heavy, textured baritone. When you hear him, the Sampha and Marvin Gaye influences make immediate sense, but there is a raw edge to his delivery that reminds me of King Krule—if Krule had spent his formative years studying the Soulquarians. Right now, mainstream R&B is obsessed with toxic detachment. August Charles is making music for people who actually want to feel the weight of their emotions. I respect him for taking that risk. His latest drop, "Until The Morning," features London duo Blue Lab Beats, and it is a masterclass in pocket. The drums carry a loose, fraction-of-a-second sway behind the beat. Rhodes keys spill out across the verse. When the chorus hits, jazz guitar licks curl around August’s stacked vocal harmonies, which swell up and act as their own standalone instrument. The momentum is building strictly off the music's merit. His track "Father" just cracked Spotify’s Fresh Finds R&B playlist, and independent radio stations from Aspen's KDNK to Raleigh's WKNC are putting him in rotation. If you happen to be in London, he's taking the stage at the Fox & Firkin on August 5th alongside FloFilz and Mica Sefia. He is building a catalog that will last. Hit play below.