Whilst Paul Lappin‘s music certainly leans into his love of 80’s and 90’s sounds, especially the baggy, pre-Britpop scene that saw dance and indie music blend groove and grace into a new, if short-lived, moment of sonic splendour, there is nothing nostalgic about it.
Okay, there is a bit, but it is undoubtedly music made as much with an eye on where he is going as it is with one on just which giant’s shoulders he stands.
And Sophia, the first choice cut from a forthcoming EP Across the Water, is him doing his thing in style, offering up something infectious and raising his own, already lofty, benchmarks.
There is a head whiff of The Stone Roses’ funky rhythms, the same soft and sultry, acid-haze hanging over proceedings, the same effortless groove, one that looks us wallflowers in the eye and dares us not to dance. A perfect teaser and taster of the EP to come, a great way to get (re)acquainted with Paul’s music and a cracking single in its own right.
