3 stars
The three-track EP Rut comes to us as the debut of Sydney-based producer/songwriter Nick Hill, who first appeared last year with the track ‘Know This’.
The release is pretty short and simple, offering you just a taste of the artist – and it works well to show off Hill’s strengths as well as a little of his range. Hill’s influences and sounds come from all sorts of places, particularly a soulful indie/electronic presence.
There is a strong Alt-J vibe, but artists like Chet Faker, David Gray and Phil Collins can all be heard behind the songs. You would find Hill sitting comfortably in the afternoon spot of your favourite boutique music festival.
The vocals are really the centrepiece of these tunes. The rest of the music is very bass-oriented, synth-heavy and smooth. There’s an interesting use of household items as percussion on the title track to mix things up. Likewise, the guitar on the track ‘Silk’ provides some effective variation.
Rut is a solid EP from a producer with a good voice and a few interesting ideas, although similar talent can be found by listening to triple j Unearthed for a few hours.
