Zara McFarlane dropped her second album ‘If You Knew Her’ on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings late last month and following hot on the heels of that full LP release is ‘Open Heart’, the second single to be taken from the project. Encompassing a sparse and almost accapella performance from the versatile singer, the original version is probably one of the most effective torch songs released this year, the singer’s emotionally fragile vocal soaring above the humble sounds of a kalimba.
Whilst previous single ‘Angie La La’ benefitted from a deep as the hills remix from the high priest himself, Osunlade, this time around it falls to UK producer Swindle to raise the temperature on the first official remix to be previewed ahead of the April release date. Fresh from his own ‘Long Live The Jazz’ debut on Deep Medi Musik last year, the artist sculpts an inviting bed for McFarlane’s voice, allowing the track to slowly unfurl amidst a cascade of percolating synths, crashing bass and assorted bleeps. It’s an intriguing remix and certainly one that might take a few listens before it fully grabs you, but ultimately Swindle’s creatively, and in places his restrain, colour this track with just the right amount of feeling.
You can preview the track yourself now via Bandcamp and if you are also unaware of the excellent source material, you can peep the official video for ‘Open Heart’ below.
The remix drops April 28th alongside versions from Alex Session and Diggs Duke. To pre-order the complete release for just £3, head on over to the Zara McFarlane Bandcamp.