Teal - Love Comes Thru (2026)

Smoky, low-slung street soul and trip bops - somewhere between Sade, Jessy Lanza, Clara La San and a.s.o - by The Ball Sisters & N1_Sound, aka Teal, for local Toronto label, Spiritual World.

It's easier than you'd think to over-egg the cake when you're operating in this realm; you might think you're dropping a subtle hint of Portishead when the reality is that you're reeking of Morcheeba. Teal at least seem to be aware of the space in which they're operating. Comprised of producer and Spiritual World boss N1_SOUND and sisters Ashleigh and Melissa Ball, the band make convincing downtempo pop that's impressively cagey about its provenance. After opener 'Aries Moon', we were pretty sure about the direction it was headed in with its soulful, sing-along earworms and loopy drums, but we admit - we were surprised.

Teal keep things unusually buttoned up, remaining stark and minimal when logic would dictate you head in the opposite direction. On 'Time is Blind', they merge a So So Def-style electro roll and sultry vocals with new age-y synth pipes and 'Sensual Seduction' pads and never take things over the boil, while they harness a dubby street soul aesthetic on 'Kissing in a Dream', making it their own with the whispered refrains and jerky keys. The mood eventually evolves; the trip-hop baggage that immediately seemed like it would weigh down the record is handed off by the time we reach the Sade-esque 'Frog's Hallow' and N1_SOUND's buzzing repetitions fall into an intriguingly unique pattern. It's good stuff - especially the title track.