Friday Mixtape: Solomon Grey

Long week? Yep, us too. Fortunately, Black Butter-signed duo Solomon Grey – comprised of university chums Tom Kingston and Joe Wilson – dropped by the Prime Planet mailbox with the sort of mixtape bound to exfoliate any inkling of day-to-day stress from your aching limbs. Running the gamut from Balam Acab to Talk Talk (and a heavenly inclusion of The Strokes’ ‘Chances‘), it’s the aural equivalent of getting a massage from a giant teddy bear in the middle of a zen garden; which is to say, it doesn’t get much more relaxing than this. Hazy electronics, twinkling keys, vocal seraphs that dance around your eardrums – there’s plenty of all three in this very special Friday mix, and so much more.

It’s not all lullabies and lushness here though; no, the London-based pair know to keep you on your toes. The razor-sharp orchestration and metallic guitars of M83‘s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming finale ‘Outro’ and the choppy beats of Jon Hopkins‘ Purity Ring collaboration, ‘Breathe This Air‘, will more than gladly stop you from drifting into a peaceful slumber, which, considering how it’s a Friday, is definitely a good thing. You’ve had your recuperation time, now go enjoy your weekends!

– Alex Cull

Solomon Grey’s ‘Firechild‘ single is re-released on November 18 through Black Butter.