Black Atlass - Pain & Pleasure (2018)

Louis Vuitton used Canadian R&B newcomer Alex Fleming’s “Paris” in a commercial while he was still in high school. Recording as Black Atlass on The Weeknd’s tastemaking record label, XO, Fleming captures the same burning passion and raw emotion that drew listeners to his boss’ debut mixtape, House of Balloons. The similarities are there—Atlass also has a watery falsetto and taste for chilly electronic production (“Feel,” “If Only They Knew”)—but he distinguishes himself with dreamy, high-life ballads like “My Life,” his wistful love letter to Los Angeles. “Living on the edge of a dream/Living on the other side of the screen,” he coos. “I’m flying.”