Grovesnor / Soft Return

Lo Recordings

With a soft voice and an aching heart, Grovesnor--the troubadour who looks "like a teacher but sings like Usher"--makes the beats to move your feet. Grovesnor is Rob Smoughton, drummer for Hot Chip and student of the old school who loves a good tune and a crisp rhythm. Although undeniably influenced by pop of the '80s, Grovesvenor's music has something supremely modern about it. There are echoes of Hall and Oates and Billy Joel, but also Daft Punk and The Flaming Lips.  Soft Return is an audio movie where the surface sheen hides a bruised heart. Like the Coppola film One from the Heart, Grovesnor's songs are full of soft-focus imagery and fine performances. It's a unique blend of future pop--check the ticking drum machines and chill wave synths on "Taxi from the Airport" or the dubstep machinations of "Nitemoves," with its Joe Jackson-on-poppers new millennium vibes. In his own words, Smoughton is "in love with 'the night.' The romance of the neon sign through a rain soaked windscreen, the pull of desire and casual acquaintances. We're different people at night--yes, more louche and stylish, but often more vulnerable too."  "... Barry White grappling on a waterbed with Brian Eno." --The Guardian

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