Chong the Nomad feat. Flint Eastwood, "Nothing Else (You)" (self-released)

Not gonna lie: It feels good to be the first critic to hype an artist and then see that artist rapidly ascend the musical food chain. After catching her barn-burning 2018 Capitol Hill Block Party set, I discerned in Chong the Nomad (aka 23-year-old Alda Agustiano) a Janet Jackson-like charisma and stage presence, plus an instrumental diversity unusual in a hip-hop/R&B performer (ukulele and harmonica). By the time I interviewed her for a Stranger cover story a few months later, I was convinced Chong the Nomad would be making major moves. So when she recently opened for Death Cab for Cutie and ODESZA and was booked to play the Timber! and Summer Meltdown festivals in 2019, it felt doubly satisfying to see a local artist achieve such mercurial success.

Chong the Nomad's next move is a collab with vibrant Detroit vocalist/producer Flint Eastwood (aka Jax Anderson). The two performers met at the Crocodile in October 2018 after playing a gig, and they quickly clicked. Anderson's own music is a bit more accessible than Agustiano's, and "Nothing Else (You)" reflects a gradual shift to a less abrasive sound for Chong, while allowing more space in the mix for Flint Eastwood's earworm choruses. But thankfully, Chong hasn't erased all of her trademark sonic eccentricities, layering distended bass grunts and strangulated synths that sound like a My Bloody Valentine guitar rumination, but in a downtempo electro-pop context. And how can you not be enchanted by the light, bubbly arpeggios that symbolize the heart flutters that accompany meeting someone with whom you become instantly infatuated without really knowing why? With a track as immediately infectious as "Nothing Else (You)," it seems likely that some savvy label will sign Chong the Nomad sooner rather than later.