‘Black Summer Babe’ is the new single from singer-songwriter Ava Joe. The track is designed to explore the unique feeling of sadness that comes with the long days of summer. She represents this musically via a nostalgic, groovy accompaniment defined by sharp drums and a warm acoustic guitar. Her voice is soulful and insistent, representing the buzzy sound of London’s jazz clubs. She describes the track as “a song I wrote on a rainy day in the summer while I was on a recording trip in the Cotswolds with Ewan from Bad Sounds. The rain made me feel melancholic and nostalgic looking back on better summers. I couldn’t ignore the feeling of longing so it only made sense to romanticise this emotion and write about it.” Keep an eye out for more from Ava Joe in 2025. -Dan Peeke