Photo by Zachary Harrell Jones

After years of helping making other people’s music stand out — from Charli XCX to Bon Iver to Brockhampton to Justin Beiber — it’s finally Dijon’s time to shine on his own, “Baby!” The title track and opener from the Baltimore alternative R&B songwriter’s instant classic sophomore effort stands out in particular fine form, even if its the turn-the-lights-down-low antithesis to all of the neon ’90s pop-rock, vapor wave R&B and neo-soul futurism kaleidoscope dreaming after it. It starts the listen off at a slow and sensuous speed — a rare sex jam and love song thrust into one that humps, bumps, grinds, smoothly caresses, procreates, and lullabies itself — and Dijon’s raspy coo — against the heat of palm-muted electricity. That broken funk drum beat raises your heart’s a few notches the more it presses on, too. Is it about making a baby? Calling someone you’re into “baby?” Naming your child “Baby”? All three can be true with the way Dijon puts a human(-making) highlight reel together in a single song.

Dijon’s Baby is available now on R&R / Warner Records.