Pop music used to run along fairly easily delineated lines; it was easy to tell what was inside the generic box and what was out. Pigeonholes ruled, musical tribes prevailed and anyone crossing boundaries were at best confused and at worst a traitor. Thankfully a whole generation of musicians has grown up to a different set of rules, one that makes it okay to wear a Ramones T-shirt whilst listening to Adele on their way to a James Bay gig and the result is that today’s musician can wander across these demarcations with ease and rather than being vilified are instead celebrated for their inventiveness.
RBG, sanding for Real Boy Genius wilfully tramples a few of those obsolete fences, particularly the ones that separate ambient dance, pop and indie. Wilfully lazy dance beats build into a wonderfully hypnotic and otherworldly chimes, glitchy vocals pierce a dream pop backwash and its chilled, late night vibe is one that will find common ground for denizens of nightclub wind down sessions, impromptu post-pub “back to mine” gatherings, the soundtrack to wine fuelled catch-ups with friends and hushed early hour solitude alike.
This is what happens not so much when people flout the rules but when people grow up unaware that the rulebook even existed. Interesting times.
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