British outfit and item piri & tommy nearly instantly ascended to “indie darling” status on the back of their debut mixtape, froge.mp3, encapsulating many of the buzzy singles they released in the months preceding. Their rapid rise partially gained steam via an on-trend overall sound that leaned into drum & bass and UK garage stylings, but their personal charm and quirkiness can’t be counted out in how audiences received the project. As we near the second anniversary of froge, piri & tommy are back at it again with a fresh EP, About Dancing.
piri & tommy Prove Songwriting Bonafides Again On About Dancing
Elucidated by froge.mp3’s “words,” one of piri & tommy’s most distinct characteristics is their central imagery and subject matter choice. Again, that’s on display with About Dancing, perhaps best explored with “Dog,” a spite-filled anthem dedicated to the partners who fall short again and again. Though the logline for the song would lead you to believe you’re in for some payback-fueled, in-your-face material, the duo takes a complete 180 from those expectations, providing breezy instrumentation and infectious melody to deliver the comprehensive rejection.
“Who Invited You” accomplishes the same feat, equally unsettled by someone who piri “can’t stand the sight of.” Still, the imminently danceable backdrop and the lead singer’s flighty vocals make it easy to miss the more cutting aspects of the song.
How The Duo Further Their Signature Sound On New EP
While super dancey singles are a reliable formula to earn space in listeners’ minds, staying power is a different question if you cannot build a further foundation on top of that. Luckily for piri & tommy, About Dancing does contain some notable experimentation. “head fuk” includes one of the duo’s first outside collaborations, tapping into the current wave of UK hip-house with guest vocals from mustbejohn. Jumping back to the start of the project, “Yoyo” grabs the listener’s attention from first blush, demonstrating some serious growth in piri’s pen with the introductory verse:
“I don’t care for shiny things
No wishing wells or wedding rings
I just want a little kiss on my forehead, uh-huh
Other things I love the most
Are hand-drawn hearts on post-it notes
Can you stick it down right on my doorstep?”
All told, piri & tommy provide some more red meat with About Dancing for those already invested in their overall project, with a chance of attracting new converts on sheer infectiousness alone. As we’re in the former category, we’re still anticipating a debut album, but this is enough to hold us over until more concrete news emerges.
For now, you can stream About Dancing and everything piri & tommy have released wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in the pop world, The Weeknd – Sao Paulo provides another highlight as the superstar’s final album further shapes up.
