- Emotional house from the label that does it best.
- Following April's Bugs, a groove-led EP with plenty of bite, Will Saul returns to show his softer side with By Your Side. The title track is a trancey, vocal-laced house tune with the heart-on-your-sleeve feeling of early '10s future garage. It's a mood Saul's Aus Music label has nailed for a decade, stretching back to early releases from acts like Bicep, Dusky and George FitzGerald. It works best on maximal tracks stacked with melody, as is the case with "By Your Side," which soars with vocals, trancey keys and a hyperactive bassline that could have soundtracked a 2009 night out at Watergate.
The other tunes are more up-to-date but less memorable. "H.O.F"'s motorised groove is joined by a blast of melody in the second half, extending the EP's trancey touch. The "Evil Acid Mix" of "Directors Suite" blends a wriggling 303 with another barrelling groove, but here the combination feels more light-footed.
TracklistA1 By Your Side
B1 H.O.F.
B2 Directors Suite
Digital: Directors Suite (Evil Acid Mix)
Digital: By Your Side (Dub Mix)