Never Love Me

Beaumont (4)

Beaumont steps up for the next release on Hotflush, with his >Never Love Me EP<. The young Scottish producer Michael Rintoul created a slice of hypnotic R&B dream pop on last years >Blush Reponse EP<. It was described by inimitable Brighton-based blog 20jazzfunkgreats as having produced, >by a strike of genius and inspiration<, the authentic soundtrack to >a really cool Z-series 80s thriller<. This time round, the vocal work on the title track is reduced to a barely intelligible processed warble, which provides the scaffolding that supports the sparse drums, synth washes and plucked melody. >Uptown< begins with Carpenter-esque keys of dread, but is quickly drenched in a warm shower of shimmering keys that tussles with the shuffling half-beat. The >Rendez-Vouz< could be on Mars, cosmic winds billowing, until a snaking bassline throbs into sight, Beaumonts impeccably programmed drums playing off against the tense synths. Star crossd lovers indeed upon the EPs closer, >Verona Beach<, the tidal back and forth grounding, the sound of the sun setting on a Miami Vice beach, but disturbed into syncopated sense.