WHEN I SHINE YOU SHINE.

Late pass on this but DAMN. Mapei hit the scene a few years back with a debut EP on Downtown Records, but nothing past, present or future matters in the wake of new single “Don’t Wait”. As the acoustic fireside intro crackles and thaws layers of frosted nostalgia, the plaintive snaps and strums lay the foundation for Mapei to shine over vocoded backing tracks. It’s shadowboxing R&B at its most original, like Santigold joining HAIM and Aaliyah in a hologram of ’90s gospel, and don’t even get us started on that middle eight. Game. Changer.