Live Review: LOVER drops a smooth debut with 'Eagle to the Prey'
The debut of Sydney artist LOVER sees him living up to his name - 'Eagle to the Prey' is an effortlessly soulful slice of R&B pop and a promising start.
Mixing heartache, pop and soulful beats is a tough tightrope to walk, yet the debut single of Sydney R&B artist LOVER (aka Oliver Kirby) has done exactly that. 'Eagle to the Prey' is a short but oh-so-sweet slice of R&B pop, and the perfect introduction to LOVER's unique style.
'Eagle to the Prey' was worked on by LOVER and fellow artists/housemates Tanssi and Oh Boy, recording, mixing and mastering over a two month period. LOVER cites greats like Brockhampton, Jai Paul, Chet Faker & Gotye - but there's no imitation here. LOVER weaves a lot of himself through 'Eagle to the Prey', and it definitely shows.
Built around a warped guitar sample and a crisp percussion loop, 'Eagle to the Prey' packs a lot of punch in under three minutes. LOVER's vocals toe the line between heartfelt-yet-poppy falsetto (like Jai Paul), and a softer spoken-word style a la Allday, but does so in a totally seamless way, telling a story of escapism after the end of a relationship. Peppered throughout the song are subtle enhancements and samples that really add to the track's vibe: additional percussion and synth, some soft saxophone and vocal effects thicken the mix and also hark back to the glory days of 90s R&B.
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'Eagle to the Prey' does everything a debut should do - it's a perfect statement of what LOVER can bring to the R&B table, and not only displays a knack for crafting tight tracks but shows off some serious vocal chops as well. LOVER is one of those artists that you can tell is really going to blossom given enough time, so you owe it to yourself to get on the ground floor and treat yourself to 'Eagle to the Prey'.
IMAGE BY AARON BULL
WORDS BY MAX LEWIS
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