This taste from the latest compilation to come from Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, Brownswood Bubblers Six, is a rough-draft recording of “Liiines” by rising London-based wordsmith Ghostpoet. The affectionate MC calls this version of his brief piano-led tune a demo, but the way we hear it, maybe it’s not entirely necessary to make that distinction. Sure, Ghostpoet’s vocals are a bit murky and distorted for whatever reasons, but those kinds of homespun nuances lend the song an even stronger intimate feel, like he had to rush to get the song out while still in the thick of his own desolate emotions. And the beat? Well, that sounds as dusty and handmade as it should—demo or not.

Liiines (Demo)