With the Hummingbird Rotation, we hope to give folks a closer look at the songs that get the most play at Hummingbird HQ. This installment, hear about Jurassic 5, Flume, and Ari Lennox.

Work It Out // Jurassic 5 feat. Dave Matthews Band

Hopefully, you’re like me and played hours upon hours of NBA Live 07 when growing up. You know — the one with Tracy McGrady on the cover and the soundtrack to blow any nine-year-old’s mind.

If not, let me introduce you to “Work It Out”, a track that stands the test of both time and nostalgia because of its unbelievably laid-back energy. Lyrics like “we live and we learn, we crash and we burn” and “I’m not lookin’ for nobody to judge” flow effortlessly from the Jurassic 5 as Dave Matthews croons “we gon’ work it out baby” in support. When mixed with the soft drums, groovy guitar, and the occasional organ accompaniment, the effect is irresistible. It’s just a really nice 3:52.

Whatever you’re worried about will begin to drift far away. Who knows, your head might even start to bob along with the good vibes.

High Beams // Flume & HWLS  (feat. slowthai)

You may or may not have heard about the wild mixtape that Flume dropped earlier this year: Hi This is Flume. For those who knew the Australian Producer as a party favorite with hits such as You & Me and Say It, the mixtape was a strange passion project that didn’t grab the same mainstream audience. But for music snobs, production-heads, and lovers of weird music, the 42-minute mixtape was a goldmine of boundary-pushing experimental EDM unlike anything else. It has a 42-minute visualizer that provides stellar scenes and imagery to go hand-in-hand with the entire audio. “High Beams” offers an appetizing combination of experimental EDM and hardcore grime with slowthai’s British Bars (B^2). It helps to already have your hands dirty in the British grime scene, slowthai spits passion-infused, emphatic vocals that’ll strap anyone into Flume’s rollercoaster of pure bumps. Warning: it’s a wild ride.

Chicago Boy // Ari Lennox

One mere paragraph can’t do justice to Ari Lennox’s latest album: Shea Butter Baby. The Washington D.C. product features a perfect blend of sounds like Jorja Smith and Kali Uchis that come together into a silky blend of neo-soul/R&B that is as smooth as, well, shea butter. The album-opener starts off with a jazzy trumpet, setting the stage for Lennox’s vocals to surround you like a misty fog of pure sound. Lennox’s rhythmic, confident bars provide a perfect contrast to the groovy background beat that one might find in a funky Rainforest Cafe. Overall, this song serves as the perfect opener for an album that puts Lennox’s foot in the door as one of the up-and-coming faces of R&B.