“Scrood” [ft. Steve Lacy]

After touring as the Avalanches’ guitarist, and galvanized by his new deal with Future Classics and Stones Throw, the Sydney-based producer Jonti is back with his first solo material in five years, “Scrood.” It’s an upbeat, ethereal composition with Steve Lacy from the Internet. The song’s breakbeats, sustained synth lines, and cool bass melody are reminiscent of the intersection of jazz and hip-hop that the Internet inhabited on their 2015 album, Ego Death. Lacy’s presence is felt most keenly through the song’s lucent guitar riff, but “Scrood”’s increased tempo and spaced-out vocals take it in a different direction than what he’s done before. Jonti layers his harmonies with a healthy dose of reverb, blending his voice into the production until it is almost indistinguishable from the other instruments. Eventually, they put aside all those sounds to let a superb string section shine through at the end. Jonti has described the song as a testament to “[soldiering] forward with [love], even when you find yourself in hopeless scenarios.” On “Scrood,” he reaches into the despair and manages to emerge with something beautiful.