- When Ploy was putting the finishing touches to his latest EP, Unruly, I'd like to think he named its three tracks with an old (and improbably popular) British ad for wood stain in mind. The appeal to directness in the ad's strapline—"It does exactly what it says on the tin"—is embodied by "Unruly" and "Garys," a pair of intense, heads-down dance floor tracks. Same goes for "Lost Hours," a dishevelled thrum meant to evoke the curtains-drawn vibe of an afters.
Unruly's direct approach is a lot of fun. "Garys"'s descending Shepard Tones are met by a whistle—it might make you think of "Drop It Like It's Hot"—sliding the other way. It's brought to a boil by up-pitched tonal layers, which makes for a heady peak-time rush. "Unruly" contains a similarly high-pressure atmosphere, though I'm not as convinced by the execution. The lack of space can feel suffocating—the dominant pitter-patter drums sound squashed, and there's not much space left for Ploy's interesting array of one-shots and accents. We decompress with "Lost Hours," a grotty downtempo cut where low-key melodies play over what sounds like snorting.
TracklistA1 Unruly
B1 Garys
B2 Lost Hours