Following on from previous singles Wonka and Saturn Returns, Derek Simpson is back with a new single, as he releases each track from his forthcoming third LP, Somehow, week-by-week. This is Simpson’s third time appearing on BlackPlastic.co.uk since April, making him one of my most consistently featured artists of 2024.
Somehow is ‘an examination of falling in love’, each track exploring a romantic experience. As is the trademark of his sound, RC30s blends subtle experimental electronics with guitars and soft, emotional vocals that explore the experience of human connection. RC30s depicts the kind of evening where two romantic lovers feel absorbed in one another’s presence. The sound is intoxicating and entrancing — a perfect sonic depiction of the experience of infatuation.
Hand claps, low slung bass stabs and falsetto vocals give RC30s a playful sexiness, Simpson’s open invitation to ‘call me if you’d like’ desperately trying, and failing, to be casual. Looped guitars, presumably leveraging the RC-30 loop pedal, create a dream-like, hazy quality, and the overall effect is spellbinding. Simpson creates the beautiful joy of finding deep human connection.