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↓TRACKLIST↓
1. When You're Near : 00:00
2. Heavy Breathing : 03:02
3. Just Calm Down : 06:38
4. Lead You to Water : 09:45
#altrnb #alternativernb #newmusic
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Over the past year, prolific multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Quinn Oulton has been refining his sound and production style. Collaborating with artists including Linden Jay, Reuben James and Col3trane, and relocating from his London base to LA and Berlin, he’s been on a creative drive, pushing his forward-thinking RnB to new places and amassing millions of streams in the process. A culmination of his efforts, Quinn is excited to share his ‘Lead You To Water’ EP, releasing on Friday 22nd November via DeepMatter Records.
‘Lead You To Water’ marks a new chapter for Quinn, built around the foundations of 90s and 2000s RnB, whilst carving room for his unconventional production techniques and distinctive songwriting voice. Sitting somewhere in between Sampha, Mk.gee and Nick Hakim, a central thread to his approach on the project is simplicity - rather than relying overtly on production elements to embellish the sound of the songs, Quinn instead sought to create spacious pieces that stand on their own, stripping the core of his creativity down to voice and acoustic guitar. He shares:
“For years, I’ve been obsessed with pushing my production skills as far as I can, exploring unique ways to manipulate conventional sounds in ways that I haven’t heard before. Following on from my album and a series of singles from through which I began to truly form my own voice, I aimed to consolidate everything I’d discovered into one project. My goal was to create a truly cohesive, refined EP that features one consistent sound at its core. The songs stand strong on their own in this context, which allowed me to build and around their foundations in any way I wanted, whilst always making sure that each song has space to breathe and shine in their own right.”
Across the project, Quinn takes on a range of immediately relatable subject material, spanning from heartfelt love songs like ‘When You’re Near’ - a soulful reflection upon love’s infectious and mind-clouding qualities - through to ‘Heavy Breathing’, where Quinn strips away superficial worries and uncovers a change of perspective when a loved one receives worrying news about their health. He shares: “I started this song just after my partner received some scary news about her health - our life went from totally normal to suddenly questioning what our future could look like. Thankfully everything turned out okay, but it gave both of us a very different outlook on how we appreciate our lives and make the most of what we have whilst we have it.”
Elsewhere, title track dives back into themes of self-destruction and alcoholism, a subject material taken on by Quinn and Col3tranepreviously on their collaboration ‘Lately’, whilst ‘Just Calm Down’ takes a look at how different people process anger and frustration, encouraging listeners to focus on positive intentions, rather than succumbing to a negative mindset. The four tracks are woven together with Quinn’s signature, off-beat production style and his ear for memorable melodies, making for a captivating listening experience.
The South London born and bred multi-instrumentalist, vocalist & producer has always been a musical explorer. With a foundation deeply rooted in jazz, he possesses a profound understanding of complex musical concepts which he translates seamlessly into the more mainstream genres of contemporary RnB and alt-pop. With Quinn’s music, you can expect to hear beautifully constructed, classic sounding tracks with hidden layers for appreciators of depth and detail.
His acclaimed work - including his debut album ‘Alexithymia’, and standout singles such as ‘100 Degrees’ (with Reuben James and Linden Jay) - has earned over ten million streams, with Quinn passing a quarter of a million monthly listeners and reaching fifty thousand followers across socials, whilst drawing significant support across radio and press. Key supporters include Gilles Peterson and Jamz Supernova (BBCR6), Sian Eleri and Jack Saunders (BBCR1), and Jamie Cullum (BBCR2). He has toured the UK and EU with his project, supporting artists such as KNOWER, Elijah Fox and Jamie Cullum, whilst also producing and performing as a session musician for other artists such as Priya Ragu, Eyelar, and Amie Blu and Mercury Award nominee Moses Boyd.