Arriving in advance of the Brighton duo’s debut album on Ninja Tune, Grasscut’s High Down single crafts an odd and disorienting sonic environment, landing somewhere between Kieran Hebden’s pastoral electronica and the folksy musings of a new generation of Nick Drake acolytes. Second track ‘Swallow The Day’ in particular is gorgeous, pivoting around a swirling chime figure reminiscent of Clark’s ‘Night Knuckles’, had Warp’s wunderkind taken his influence from a childhood in the country as opposed to the labyrinthine beat structures of jungle and techno.
Which isn’t to say Grasscut’s charms are entirely referential – the same song’s commitment to angular shifts in pace and the title track’s muted piano figures and jarring electronic elements are suggestive of an unusual ear for seamless genre trickery. There’s also an undeniable pop nous at play here that elevates the songwriting itself above a functional level. Fellow Brightonites Esben and the Witch, whom Grasscut are supporting in London this week, tread a similar line between past and future with aplomb – both acts offer a tantalising glimpse of interesting developments to come from the south coast.
By Rory Gibb.
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