Yes, you read that right. New music from Sam Hardaker and Harry Binns, aka Zero 7. It comes in the form of an EP, called (funnily enough) E.P.3, and follows on from EP numbers 1 & 2, which date from before their major label days. It also comes ahead of their first album in five years, which is due out, hopefully, in the Autumn.
Of the new music, the band say “Late last year we finished a couple of stray songs we’d been working on and have been trying to find a suitable home for them since. As they didn’t really fit with much else we were doing at the time, they were put aside while we thought about what to do with them…. To us, they seemed to share something with the Mark Hollis cover we did a while ago so we’ve buddied them up and thrown in a little instrumental for good measure and come up with the imaginatively entitled it ‘E.P.3’. Hope you enjoy.”
From the EP, the band are streaming the opening track 400 Blows. It springs into life, the bassline this infectious limp, covered in soft marimba lines and this warm electronic hue the band have always been able to do a line in. Its joined by this handclap and pulsating synth as it continues to sprawl lovingly over your ears, but it’s the tune that really melts your heart, the vocal captivating, until the accompaniment takes over, chattering its way to the end.
Seriously, if you can resist this, you can resist anything. Us, well, we never wanted to.
E.P. 3 is released via Make Records on 12″ Vinyl – March 30th / Download – April 13th
