EP: LONDON GRAMMAR - METAL & DUST

So far not much is known about London Grammar, apart from them being a 3-piece (Hannah, Daniel, and Dot), and that their debut release, a 4 track EP titled 'Metal & Dust' is out right now digitally and on 7".

Our attention was first drawn to the track 'Hey Now', a quiet, dark song that gently simmers along almost unnoticed but easily catches you off guard during its relatively short length of 3.27. The vocals are clearly the first point of notice, with Hannah's depth and range standing out, but the electronic based music behind is also interesting, with the use of space, tempo, ambiance, and repetition quite alluring. 

Title track 'Metal & Dust' is more up tempo, with the beats turned up front and centre, whilst 'Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me' has a gentle, party feel to it, with certain parts a bit reminiscent of Ellie Goulding from her debut record. The EP ends with a Dot Major remix of 'Hey Now' which only goes to further strengthen the effectiveness of the track and EP as a whole.

There's plenty of reference points on this EP, with the likes of The XX, James Blake, Egyptian Hip-Hop, Alt-J, Mt Wolf and other ethereal electronic pop artists that seem to surround the airwaves at the minute all being picked up on, but there's also enough ideas and invention to suggest London Grammar have a clear voice of their own. We hear a debut album is in the pipeline and by accounts could be something rather special if this EP is anything to go.

Buy the Metal & Dust' EP from iTunes or the 7" now. // London Grammar