London R&B singer Sean Nelson, better known as Ruthven, is part of Jai and A.K. Paul’s Paul Institute circle, and he released his debut album Rough & Ready last year. A few months ago, Ruthven dropped a funky single called “Kiss Goodnight.” Today, he shares Precognition, a new EP that includes “Kiss Goodnight” and a couple of new songs.
I will now advise you to proceed directly to the Precognition title track, which sounds like what would happen if Dijon tried making yacht rock. It’s an incredibly smooth strutter song with squelchy, jittery right-now production. Ruthven really gives his faletto a workout on the slippery lope “Bottle,” the other new song. (There’s also an extended version of “Precognition” on the EP.)
Ruthven is the sole writer and producer of both “Precognition” and “Bottle.” In a press release, he says, “This small body of work feels like a good segue into the next era for me. I’m using a lot more live instrumentation and programming a little bit less. Playing more guitar, more acoustic drums — all of which have formed a new sound for me. The fundamental DNA of my music is there, but there’s a new evolution. This is the first of it.” Hear “Precognition” and “Bottle” below.
The Precognition EP is out now on Paul Institute/XL.
