It feels like Sepalcure have been around for ages so it seems a little surprising that their self-titled album, forthcoming on Hotflush Recordings, is actually only their fifth release. It really only was in the summer of 2010 that Travis Stewart and Praveen Sharma's debuted as Sepalcure and released the Love Pressure EP, seemingly from nowhere, blowing us all away. Together as Sepalcure and separately as Machinedrum and Braille, they have established themselves in the their native USA and here with releases on a variety of top labels including Planet Mu, Rush Hour, LuckyMe and of course Hotflush.
Since their debut we have seen the Fleur EP, the Love Pressure Remixed EP and most recently the Pencil Pimp LP Sampler all come out on Hotflush to great acclaim. These high quality releases really set the bar high and as you would expect there are high hopes for Sepalcure's debut album.
Sepalcure - Pencil Pimp / I'm Alright [Hotflush Recordings]
From the opening moment of 'Me' we are immediately treated to what we know as the trademark Sepalcure dance floor groover complete with a great swinging beat, smooth vocals and haunting synths. After that however, things do take a step forward in a really positive way as they explore and add other sounds and vibes to their music. The second track, "Pencil Pimp", is a perfect example of this, taking components from Classic House and Juke, including those choppy vocal hooks, and blending them with some more familiar, fairly haunting vocals, acoustic guitar and a really tight two step vibe.
After that their influences, highlighted with their own familiar style, bring the album to life and in a direction that is truly refreshing. You'll hear everything from chilled 808 vibes ("Eternally Yrs"), sun-drenched House ("See Me Feel Me"), Funky ("Hold On", "The One") and even some straight up Dubstep ("Yuh Na See") and everything in between as the exploration of the Sepalcure sound is fully expressed. In short, this is a great debut album and has enough depth and variety to warrant multiple listens.
The release date for Sepalcure is November 21st via Hotflush Recordings and is available on Vinyl, CD and digitally. Until then enjoy the flip from the sampler, 'I'm Alright' which was made available for free in the last week.
I'm Alright - Sepalcure [via XLR8R]
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