With their goal of creating jams that make you dance while simultaneously luxuriate in the memories of late nights past, London-based four-piece PREP are back with a brand new single. With a blend of sounds from contemporary R&B, electronica, and 70s to 80s inspired pop, the band has shared their fresh new track “Speaking Silence”, the second instalment from their upcoming EP. Fans can stream “Speaking Silence” here: ffm.to/speakingsilence
Unlike the upbeat energy of their previous single “The Kid“, the band’s newest song is a mellow laid-back piece. “It’s the calm after the storm – you’ve had an argument, a load of bad feelings spilling out, and this is the aftermath when you’ve made it through and found a quiet closeness with someone again,” explains vocalist Tom Havelock.
PREP is no stranger to Southeast Asia. The band has played multiple shows in the region, notably their 2018 Asia Tour that included stops in cities like Jakarta, Singapore, Bali, Bangkok, and Manila. Most recently, the band played a set at Java Jazz Festival 2020 in Jakarta right before the pandemic hit. The band hallmarks their time building their fanbase in Asia as an important pivot where PREP’s sense of sonic possibility expanded. “At one point we thought PREP would just be a studio project,” Llywelyn elaborates. “But we played gigs that went really well, and we spent some amazing time in Asia.” Indonesia remains the band’s top city in terms of listeners, followed closely by the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore.
With such a strong vision for the sound and aesthetic, PREP is as much a concept as a band, meaning collaboration is welcome. Sought-after talent like rising electro-pop star Anna of the North, South Korean R&B crooner DEAN, and Paul Jackson Jr, who played guitar on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, have all stepped into the world of PREP.
PREP is vocalist-lyricist Tom Havelock, keyboardist Llywelyn ap Myrddin, drummer Guillaume Jambel, and producer Dan Radclyffe. With Steely Dan and Bobby Caldwell as lodestars, PREP is pop music that feels tip-of-the-tongue familiar even though you’ve never heard it before. Stay tuned for an EP coming later in the year.
