Tracks Of The Week, 23.02.18 - GigslutzGigslutz

Ahead of their forthcoming EP Cold Fire, the follow up to 2016’s debut, Futures, PREP have shared ‘Don’t Bring Me Down.’

Comprised of a hip-hop producer, a classical composer, a house DJ and a singer-songwriter/co-writer, PREP are an interesting combination to say the least, but teeming with talent, and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ is a taste of just how well it works.

Sun-soaked, shimmering and carried by Tom Havelock’s nervy falsetto vocals over pulsing, crisp handclaps and an overriding groove that has us itching to hear more, ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ is a dose of something that I didn’t know I was missing, but I definitely was.

Cold Fire is due out in April

Taken from his upcoming debut album Homotopia, ‘Gayby’ is a witty, charming offering from Sam Vance-Law.

With the album set out to “capture some of the gay experience, as it is now, without judgement,” ‘Gayby’ does exactly that. It captures reality, with a wit that Sam slips into his lyrics so smoothly – ‘Gayby’ moves quickly from unashamedly sweet promises of love, to “We’ll feed, house and clothe you / ‘til you’re 31,” inducing giggles as much as it can tears. It’s smart and aware, though never sanctimonious, and perhaps exactly what’s needed to tackle taboos head on.

Sam’s debut album Homotopia is out on 2 March

I can barely get my own brain to cooperate most of the time, so the thought of working with six other people is daunting. Boston seven-piece, Juice, on the other hand, seem to have it down, and in their latest offering ‘Sugar’ show off their hugely rich harmonies.

With said vocals layered over funk guitars, ‘Sugar’ is addictive. Hooky, fun and chantable, ‘Sugar’ comes from the bands experience “as young guys embedded in a culture that blurs the lines between beauty, vanity, love, euphoria and pain.” In Juice’s own words “rock ‘n’ roll… yet right, reverent and unabashedly modern,” ‘Sugar’ blends rocky, festival-ready choruses with airtight raps to create something so fresh.

‘Sugar’ is out now

Bursting into public consciousness, Isaac Waddington has shared ‘Nothing’s Changed’ – a debut so good, I’m almost a little annoyed at Isaac for sitting on his talent for so long.

Yet another release that has us dreaming for summer with far too long to wait, ‘Nothing’s Changed’ is gorgeously languid, the first taste of an EP inspired by his annual visits to Borselli, in Tuscany, a town Waddington describes as “back to basics with one shop, a football pitch and a café”.

Relaxed, yes, but with a wisdom that can’t go unnoted – it’s powerful, and no doubt a sign of even bigger things to come from Isaac.

‘Nothing’s Changed’ is out now