Oakland singer/songwriter and producer Harriet Brown has flair, if the cover of his debut EP is any indication—the guy pulls off a bowl cut. Co-produced with Rare Times‘ Alex Talan, New Era promises a rich array of sounds that fall into Brown’s self-coined style of “romantic funk.”
The EP’s opener, “Paradisiac”, is a slow burner that starts out as a steady percussive shuffle and picks up a real groove. Wavy synthesizers and bright guitars wash up around Brown’s voice, which is is laid-back and sensual—and the subtle harmonies behind it can’t elude comparison to Prince enough. The song intensifies into a guitar solo with Brown’s spoken voice echoing above, and then his sung vocals ring out clearer than ever. His lyrics are serious, mashing love and apocalypse together ably. Combined with the gravity of the instrumentation, the song feels momentous, like a harbinger of something great. It does somehow feel like Harriet Brown could usher in a new epoch, and we’re in the wake of it.
New Era will be out October 14 via LA pop label Feel So Real.
