The EP follows on from the debut, limited edition single ‘Stand’, which immediately garnered glowing praise from the likes of The Guardian and The Times. Where ‘Stand’ looked to inspire dancing, ‘Cold In Flesh’ instead breaks new, icier terrain, more likely to arrest attention and freeze the listener in your tracks.
In addition to the launch of these early forays into the uncertain world of ‘the solo artist’, the past few months has seen Othello Woolf indulging in collaborations with the artist/producer Bullion and New York photographer Fabien Montique, as well as producing an as yet ‘secret’ London group’s debut EP.
For his own EP, Woolf has imbued the four tracks with as much drama as his moniker (a literary allusion? Or an obscure reference to long-forgotten beat-em-up game Monster? You decide). The liquid-crystal sweetness of its opening track immediately achieves a theatrical self-awareness, thanks in part through heavy use of the kind of synth-sounds of the type normally wasted in high-school music classes.
Over this, Woolf’s languid, wandering delivery tells us of his aching desire to return to innocence. It’s perfect pop – playful, dramatic, honeyed, but still willing to disregard convention and standards. Perfect for everyone who thinks James Blake takes himself just a little too seriously.
The melted funk of a track like ‘Can’t Help’ keeps things interesting, sounding something like a stripped down Games (Daniel Lopatin) release. Woolf picks a few choice moments in this track to inject a shimmering, soulful quality into his vocals, breaking from repeating patterns to show off a little range over the delicate, aqueous mash of synth horns and clean, picked guitar.
Whilst there is a chilling quality in this brooding mix, Woolf’s music certainly isn’t challenging – it’s as smooth a listen as you could hope for in a consistently evolving genre, making it perfect listening for all those chilled summer evenings coming up.
(Xavier Boucherat)
