Words by Nick Mee. @Nickjmee
Xenia Rubinos is a New Yorker shortly to release her debut album ‘Black Terry Cat’, and if this delicious taster is a guide it’ll be a game-changer. The stripped-back funk of ‘Lonely Lover’ is composed of a double-tracked slinky yet rough-edged bassline cohabiting with a crisp old-skool shuffle and little else save Rubinos’ ascendant, show-stopping vocal. The track has the air of contemporary R&B but is shorn of the corporate cultural production that demeans so much of the genre. Instead we're given pure, organic soul peppered with a jazz feel that helps the song meander into some unexpected spaces. Part pop, part street, part speakeasy, ‘Lonely Lover’ is refreshing for its raw, unprocessed, human vibe.
Black Terry Cat is out on 3 June on ANTI-