- In 2014, Paranoid London compiled a sought-after series of EPs, dating back to 2012, that were in thrall to a sound dating back nearly three decades. After an album so comprehensive in its range of loopy, Chicago-inspired acid and narcotic hooks, sung by Paris Brightledge and Mutado Pintado, I wondered whether Gerardo Delgado and Quinn Whalley could continue to make more of the same without sounding redundant. When the duo released this year's We Come To Rock, an EP rooted in New York electro, they seemed to have found a neat way forward. Their latest, Give Me The / Our Man Though, is a white-label that returns to the duo's acid house habits.
The problem isn't that Paranoid London are repeating themselves on these two tracks—they're just not as effective. On "Give Me The," familiar elements—hectic rim shots, a roiled acid bassline—are set in place, but you're left waiting in vain for a second wind. It could be as slight as the one on Paranoid London's "Paris Dub 1," where the introduction of a bassline shed seedy neon light on Brightledge's lyrical portrayal of street life.
"Our Man Though" has the air of a live jam. Swells of acid suddenly and inelegantly rush in against a four-note acid line. The choppy sequencing is appealing up to a point. Like "Give Me The," the B-side gathers the desired momentum, but there's no space left to ease or redirect the tension. After an album follow-up like We Come To Rock, it's clear that Paranoid London can sound more inspired than this.
TracklistA Give Me The
B Our Man Though