Jim-E Stack Enlists Dijon on the Glistening "Sweet Summer Sweat"
2020 is the year of unexpected collaborations. The past few months have seen a whole canon of serendipitous partnerships come to life, from 100 Gecs and Fall Out Boy, to FKA Twigs and 645AR. The latest from San Francisco-bred Jim-E Stack is no different. Hot on the heels of the Empress Of-assisted single "Note to Self," the producer is back with a nostalgic wooze featuring alternative R&B's rising star, Dijon.
"Sweet Summer Sweat" is a hazy daydream that captures the fleeting nature of summer love. Jim-E Stack weaves together a cornucopia of sounds and timbres, over which Dijon's vocals thrive. Dijon's heart-rending delivery fits right on "Sweet Summer Sweat," which, sonically, is not a far cry from other songs in his discography (see: "Wild").
The single evokes a sense of longing. The repeated guitar riff lilts upwards, as if to ask a question. In his usual soulful manner, Dijon sighs, "Can we talk? / I'll tell you anything you want." "Sweet Summer Sweat" is littered with beautiful bits of nostalgia, be it in the video game noises that appear intermittently, or the shoegaze-flecked instrumental.
Speaking further on the single, Jim-E Stack says, "Last summer I made a beat with some chopped-up guitar that felt like my version of a song on Sheryl Crow’s 'Tuesday Night Music Club.' When Dijon freestyled and landed on the words 'sweet summer sweat,' I immediately had an unlived memory of young summer love in small-town America. From that moment on, finishing the song became solely about articulating that feeling."
