Sonnee shares new single 'Feel This (How Long Will I) ahead of forthcoming EP 'Chalk'

Sonnee has released his new single, 'Feel This (How Long Will I)', taken from his forthcoming EP 'Chalk' ahead of its release on November 3.

The EP as a body of work tackles raw emotion and intense relationships through its contents, blending with melancholy and honesty hope and a danceable beat.

The new single embodies this entirely, with its breaks-fuelled percussives accompanied by jazzy piano and vocals from Benji Lewis to craft a heartfelt, yearning cut.

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"'Feel This' is probably the most reflective track from the EP," Sonnee tells Mixmag. "It explores the feelings of long distance, but directly in terms of friends and family. Moving to London on my own, knowing literally no people, was one of the best decisions but I’ve definitely had times where I realised how far the people I care about the most are and it can be hard feeling they are living their lives together without you there.

"I have been so lucky with amazing vocalists sending me ideas for this EP. Benji sent me a bunch of demos - all of them incredible - but the lyrics in this one really resonated with me. From there it was just about building a track that lifted what he was trying to say.

"I had a lot of fun with vocal processing on this one. Little Alter Boy from Soundtoys gets that really nice low tone and adds a nice amount of grit. The main synth line is a chopped-up tiny ambient sample from a pack which I added thermal from output to really bring it out of itself. From there, I altered the pitch. I tend to keep things pretty simple; Ableton’s delay is my absolute fav delay at the moment, which may be something I need to explore more."

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"I wrote and recorded this vocal idea earlier this year during a period of time when I was away from someone I loved," Benji Lewis elaborates on his work behind the piece. "On and off with trying long distance, communication with a not so easy time difference... so many ups and downs. I found myself wondering if they were feeling all these things as well, while being apart when we really wanted to be together. Trying to heal and feel ok and good living separately while at the same time wanting to be together has to be one of the hardest things I’ve experienced. So, the song for me is about love and while being away from each other wanting to know if the other is feeling all of this too and missing me as much I miss them.

"I sent it over with some other ideas to Charlie (Sonnee) while I was in Paris this year and he really connected with this one. I love what he has done with it and what the song has become since. He's kept all that raw emotion and feeling while having this powerful strength and sense of lifting and rising up. I love it. Happy it’s out!"

''Feel This (How Long Will I)' is available now here.

Niamh Ingram is Mixmag's Weekend Editor, follow her on Twitter