– THE QUIET RIOT –

Australian glitch-pop sensation Chet Faker reclaims the airwaves having reverted to his birth name of Nick Murphy and, before you ask, no, I’m not going to make any jokes about the ‘faker’ ‘getting real’.

Except that I just did.

Fuck.

Yes, the man whose moody 2011 cover of Blackstreet’s No Diggity made him an overnight superstar has released a second album, Run Fast Sleep Naked.

Some People comes from that album.

What is immediately obvious from the opening bars of Some People is that there is a more organic feel to this new track compared to much of what was included on 2014’s Built on Glass.

A picked acoustic guitar leads the way alongside Murphy’s deep, brooding voice. And while an electronic drum pattern shuffles along in the background, it’s so hidden in the mix as to almost replicate the timbre of a jazz sticksman’s brushes on a snare.

Electronic adornment is evident throughout but it really is simply adding texture and spice rather than leading the track as has previously been the case.

The real highlight, however, comes as the strings build into Some People. They circle the song alluringly, suspending themselves high in the air before swooping into arabesque scales. Listen carefully and you can even hear – in moments – a lone Indian violin.

It makes for a perfect marriage of the earthy and the other-worldly and hints at exciting times ahead for our newly-named not-so-fake friend.

Run Fast Sleep Naked is out now through Downtown / Future Classic / Opulent.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

KOJAQUE: FLU SHOT
ATLAS MAIOR: RIPTIDE
JOE ARMON-JONES: ICY ROADS (STACKED)
NERIJA: RIVERFEST

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –