South London keys ‘n’ drums duo Gentle Friendly released their debut album Ride Slow on Monday, and it has much to recommend it – rampant experimentation and great pop songwriting housed in noise, discordance and warm fuzz. The frantic ‘RIP Static’ is a perfect example, hurtling out of the blocks with tongue-twisting verses, dead-ahead drumming and some lovely synth drones. The video is worth a look, too – though if the idea that your toys were coming alive ever kept you awake at night when you were a kid, you’d do well to find a sofa to hide behind…

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