Ben Browning (of Cut Copy) with Metronomy May 3, 2012

Ben Brown

A pulsating solo effort from electronic pop crooning man-child and Cut Copy bassist Ben Browning is the shiniest, newest addition to the Cutters stable of artists.

Prior to starting on Cut Copy's most recent album Zonoscope, Ben Browning dug into his trusty mind-hole and began penning tracks for a solo release, culminating in the new 12-inch EP which is to be released by Cutters Records. I Can't Stay is the lead single, taken from Browning's forthcoming EP on Cutters records.

It opens with an almost calypso guitar lead, before opening up into bouncing bass driven club-pop, the likes of which wouldn't have been entirely out of place on the recent Cut Copy album. The vocal is trademark Ben Browning: delicately strained melodic and harmonic stylings, with a seeming fragility which belies its true versatility.

The talents of Architecture In Helsinki's Gus Franklin and Haima Marriott were enlisted to add production and shimmer, with Franklin even laying down live-drums on the final recording. Meanwhile, Cut Copy's own Dan Whitford reached into his collection of vintage synths to provide keyboard programming, producing some of the the classic keyboard tones herein.

What's that you say? You wanna dance? Never fear, the single is rounded out by two energetic remixes of the lead track I Can't Stay. Cutters' own Knightlife, who has made spacey disco bliss his stock in trade, has transformed this into and epic, infectious melodic house gem. And DFA's Juan Maclean opts for an energized version, more faithful to the original, much like classic expertly finessed dance mixes of old.