Neu LÉON

: Amber Bain
Based: London
Listen: Soundcloud.com/cubsuk
Similar to: Taken By Trees

Most of the finer friendships don’t begin with a kick to the sensitive parts or a punch in the face. They begin with gentle, timid introductions. Cubs’ brief welcome is the gentlest of sorts, a breathtaking flurry of softly-executed instrumentation; slight bango percussion; gradually evolving synth parts and of course, the delicate tones of the project’s creator, Amber Bain.

Amber’s vocals remain a constant of clarity and assuredness in an otherwise drifting climate. Where the backdrops are fleeting and brittle, her voice is a bold companion, similar to Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry’s, in a way. Although where Mayberry sounds like she’s physically shielding herself from an onslaught of beats and sonic squeaks, Bain’s vocals are a meeting point between everything else she’s constructed. Everything is calculated and unchallenged. The intimate ‘A P A R T’ (yep, here’s another artist double-spacing their triumph’s titles) tells its recipient “I light a cigarette, and think of you”, whereas the truly outstanding ‘ANTHRA’ takes a soft, sullen sound into groundbreaking territory. Far from receding into a shell and becoming dull in its minimalism, it wraps your ears in a comfy surrounding, holds you close and reassures every niggling fear flicking around your fickle head. It’s calm epitomised.