Demos

Simon Kent - Inside Your Heart EP

Owain Paciuszko 02/04/2010

Rating: 2/5

Soft hued ambient pop from UK singer-songwriter in anticipation of an imminent album release, showcasing three tracks co-produced by ex-The Cure drummer Jon Callender.

The title track has a lightweight Moby feel, with Kent's vocal restrained and sombre, but it's an elegantly arranged affair that has soothing swathes of backing vocals and dreamy trumpets cooing in the song's closing moments. It's space-pop with a latter Bowie vibe, though Kent's vocals are more neutral and careful which is fine on this laidback introduction but on Fire Escape his musings 'I know I shouldn't talk to you,' and such like, don't really have any feeling to hook your claws into.

Closing track Are You Receiving Me? begins with Kent's voice hushed and quivering over light synths, before a subtle electronic beat allows the return of the jazzy trumpets. It builds towards a finale that all too quickly fades out into nothingness, reminiscent of Brand New Day-era Sting. It's frustrating, because certain elements of the track's ascension were working together nicely, but, in the end things vanish before they could really get to work.

Kent has some good production and arrangment ideas peppered across the tracks here, with the jazzier selections being particularly encouraging. Hopefully over a full release Kent has more room to stretch his legs, but as a taster it's somewhat flavourless.