Newcomer Airhead is yet another one that we don’t know too much about. So far we’ve got this: he’s the man behind this gorgeous Shlohmo remix, he plays guitar for James Blake and he’s releasing an EP so lovely that it might just break your heart. His track “Lightmeters” closed the “IOTDXI” compilation from R&S that was released last year, and this first real release is also being handled by R&S. Which puts him in great company, of course. “Lightmeters” was a strange but beautiful track, featuring an experimental breakdown bracketed by ghostly ambient wanderings that wouldn’t sound totally out of place on a Grouper album. “Wait”, the lead track on Airhead’s debut single, opens with the marriage of a warped vocal sample and an insistent drum beat, which on first listen places Airhead in the same school as labelmate James Blake. There is undoubtedly plenty of Blake’s sonic grandeur to be found on this release, particularly in the denouement of “South Congress”. But the brilliant delicacy of Mount Kimbie and Gang Colours is here too, as is their love of ‘organic’ guitars and a musical eclecticism that never sounds disjointed. Despite these comparisons, Airhead is a true original, and a breath of fresh air in a scene that was becoming stifled with sampling copycats. “Wait/South Congress” is a genuinely exciting release, and we’re looking forward to his first full-length.

Airhead – South Congress by R & S Records

“Wait/South Congress” is out on March 19th and available now to pre-order.