Rounds - We've Met Before (2017)

'We’ve Met Before’ is the long-awaited, debut album from Rounds - a London-based three piece consisting of Robert Cooper (vocals, synths), Andrew Chapman (guitars, synths) and Ashley Kemp (drums, samplers).

After 2013’s ‘Falter’ EP and regular plays across Radio 1, 6 Music, XFM and the NME, plus a more recent hat tip from globe-trotting house pusher George Fitzgerald, ‘We’ve Met Before’ propels Rounds further forward, showcasing their most cohesive blend of vocals, electronics and live instrumentation to date. Still impossible to pin down, the band's influences continue to be myriad - fusing indie, bass music and everything in between.

Standout tracks include first single ‘Feel’, an intriguing fusion of Cooper’s lullaby-like vocal hooks, Chapman’s soothing piano chords, submarine ambience and lo-fi house. ‘Die Dreaming’ is a more uplifting, radio-friendly affair, with Kemp’s solid drum groove supporting the infectious line ‘slow down your breathing, until you die dreaming’. The rhythmically ticking, clock-like rhythms of ‘Fawn’ and the purity of ‘Honest’ deal with relationships ending and the importance of acceptance; whilst the soothing and unique fusion of genres, songwriting and musicianship heard on ‘Fatherhood’ closes the album in fine form.