Versatile Cape Town producer and songwriter Kilian Wes is back with nostalgic new Dance-Pop banger “Tell Me“. The track also finds Kilian taking centre stage as the lead vocalist on his own track for the first time. Whilst his vocal offering is limited to just the reoccurring line “Something’s on my mind, so tell me that you’re mine“, there is a weight of emotion carried in his almost pained delivery of this line that is made even more impactful by its repetition.

Wes‘ pitched-up vocals combine smoothly with the track’s warm EDM production, driven by woozy guitar riffs, atmospheric organs and a driving drumbeat. Whilst there isn’t a huge amount of progression to the beat, it is hard to resist the melodies which call you towards a portal through to a smoky, neon-lit dancefloor from your teenage years. In minimal words, Wes captures an overwhelming need for affirmations of reassurance in a relationship that you want badly to be something more solid.

Known for writing and producing all his own songs while featuring a variety of guest vocalists, Wes approached “Tell Me” in the same way at first. After recording the initial idea, however, he chose to keep his own vocals in the final version. The result is the first unaccompanied Kilian Wes track since the very beginning, marking his debut as both producer and singer. “Not that I’ll stop working with other singers,” Kilian says. “I love collaborating with other artists; it drives me creatively. But this is definitely something I’d love to explore more.” Whilst Wes steps out of the shadows on this track this is not at the expense of co-creation, something that has played a huge role in his musical journey.

The track features two of his friends – with Joshua from Dangerfields on guitar and Grandall from Die Heuwels Fantasties on organ. In retaining the collaborative aspect that has been such a big part of his musical journey so far, whilst taking the jump of putting himself in front of the mic, Wes has shown a drive to take his career to the next level. I’m fascinated to see how he continues to progress as an artist and make an impact on the local Pop scene.