Aloe Blacc, Shimza 'Darling' on Helix Records

'Darling' is Helix Records' 43rd release of 2024, part of a run that has reached 168 for the label this year. The Extended Mix arrived on the label in March, filed as Afro House, and Francis Mercier placed it 15th of 20 in his Yara chart on 13 June, a field that also carried Shimza and Rachel Chinouriri's 'Parachute', also on Helix Records, at ninth.

The drums carry this record, with little incident running through them. It sits loud and forward, with little movement under its peaks, and the top end stays dim, a heavy, close read built for a peak-time slot. 15th of 20 in a chart this size is a fair mid-table result for a label putting out well over a hundred records a year.