Leon T. Pearl

"Bring Me Down EP"

Release date: 30 June 2014

8/10

26 June 2014, 11:30 | Written by Stephen Jenkins

(Albums)

(Leon T. Pearl)

They say that history moves in circles, don’t they? Empires rise and fall, economies shrink and swell, that sort of thing. Well, another item of proof to add the theory of eternal universal recurrence is the recent resurgence of UK garage, somewhat spearheaded last year by the Lawrence brother duo Disclosure and now backed up by their Method Records label-mate Leon T. Pearl.

Unlike the demise of a civilisation or an economic recession, the revival of 90s UK garage in recent times is, for the most part, good thing, and Leon T. Pearl’s Bring Me Down EP is testament to this. Incorporating elements of contemporary 2-step and introducing an idiosyncratic personality which splits from facetiousness to empathy in an instant, the Edinburgh based singer-producer manages to prompt nostalgic throwbacks to decades past whilst giving a firm sense credibility to the new brand of forward-thinking, garage-inspired electronica.

The Edinburgh based singer-producer has bared his wily snarl before on the tongue in cheek “Take You To Market”, on which he sings about selling his Mrs. for drugs, and the more recent “If You’re Still There”, on which he seemingly wants to get his Mrs. back, presumably after a heavy comedown. On Bring Me Down, Leon T. Pearl proves that his unique brand of fragmented-vocal bloke poetry has the longevity, and mainstream appeal, to potentially lift him to the same level as his label peers.

The EP’s leading single “Bring Me Down” is a luscious mash of high hats, undulating bass synths and the occasional funk bass lick. Pearl dryly muses over the track “I don’t know if we are harmonised, but I feel trapped when it’s monogamised” before swooningly belting out the song’s titular refrain. The EP’s other offerings include the brightly pulsating dancefloor filler “Came Here For You” and the frantically soulful “Billions”.

With only a handful of releases to his name, there are already many personalities behind Leon T. Pearl. This is what sets him apart from other electronic producers of our times; instead of just being another pair of hands fiddling around on a laptop, or a bloke wearing a mask behind the turntable, this producer gives us something to associate ourselves with. Through his lyrical observations and frank turns of phrase we get the impression that he’s mostly a bit like the rest of us: at times a hapless romantic; at times a bit glum; and at times a bit of a selfish prat.