Listen: BELGRAVE - "Playing Games"

16 October 2014, 18:00 | Written by George O'Brien

(Tracks)

(BELGRAVE)

The boys are back. For so long it appeared as if male-fronted acts were failing to pull their weight as wonderful seductive soulstresses dominated. A quick glance at the album charts and you'll catch Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and George Ezra heading things up with something of a reneissance in full swing. Enter BELGRAVE.

We still know almost nothing about the unsigned London artist but one very important fact is becoming particularly apparent: he has an incredible knack for brooding, sultry and completely infectious pop.

This new outing appears as BELGRAVE's official debut, following on from the attention-demanding "Is Love Enough", which premiered at Best Fit back in June. And it continues in a similar vein; once again his arresting vocal takes centre stage above a wash of 80s-inspired synth-driven accompaniment and the melancholic theme of wrestling with emotion returns with added intensity. What "Playing Games" really adds though is an - in fact a pair - of incredibly catchy hooks which develop into what feels like one stunning earworm of a chorus.

Streaming below, it's the second incredible piece of evidence that BELGRAVE is on his way to playing some fairly serious games in the new music world.