Neu Meanwhile

Name

: Meanwhile
Based: London
Listen: Soundcloud.com/meanwhileost
Similar to: Prince, Jungle

There’s something curiously cinematic about Meanwhile. The singer, producer and film-maker’s chosen name alone suggests a continuing narrative, the word a powerful weapon in a raconteur’s artillery, whilst the pictures of beautiful, barren American landscapes adorning the artist’s Facebook page wouldn’t seem out of place in AMC’s Breaking Bad. These images - a deserted backyard overgrown with weeds in small town America, the dark wooden doors of a seemingly abandoned shop front in the Wild West, a rusted fuel pump at the edge of the desert - are all emblazoned with the same dual-rhombi logo that has come to be known as Meanwhile’s calling card. 

It’s as if these enigmatic images are showing the calm before a storm - not a destructive storm, but a life-injecting and euphoric one that will descend from the moment the first tremors of ‘Luvletta’ begin to sound. The track is a hedonist’s paradise, with soaring trumpets and ecstatic vocals that ought to be soundtracking one of Baz Luhrmann’s many characters in their struggle between success and excess. Meanwhile wears Prince’s influence on his sleeve, especially in the velvet guitar work that pervades throughout, while the triumphant horn-led climax of the track isn’t dissimilar to recent XL signings Jungle’s blend of infectious funk-pop. Ultimately though, we’re mere spectators of Meanwhile’s world. We’ve been offered the first scene and can now anticipate how this mysterious tale will unfold.