Drawing us in with a cerebral bassline and textured percussion, The Natural Curve opens Silly Girl with a captivating narrative and vocals from Liberty Taylor as she sings, “I don’t care what you’re thinking, I never learn anyway, got my aim, trigger finger, had my scope sight set on you…”
The opus expands with an immersive, almost meditative synth as the journey of the song continues. We are enamoured by Liberty Taylor‘s range, the echoing vocal production, dimensional yet intricate in its design.
The emergence of 8-bit synths adds playfulness to the production, aligned with the concept and self-reflective title of the track, Silly Girl. The psychedelic build of the track is sublime, reminding us of early Zero 7, Morcheeba, Air, and Portishead but with a vibrant synth-pop energy.
The glitched nuances are also reminiscent of William Orbit‘s production on Madonna’s seminal record, Ray of Light. We could imagine the track, which was produced in North Norfolk with its 90s feel, being featured in a TV show like ELLE – the Legally Blonde prequel on Amazon Prime, or a TV show like The Girlfriend. Silly Girl‘s trippy edge would also make it perfect for the poolside playlist at Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood where songs like this often find their home.
We learn that The Natural Curve is the project of UK producer Paul Cullen. It is no surprise that Paul does indeed cite Massive Attack, Portishead and Zero 7 as sonic influences, and has been featured before by Gilles Peterson and Craig Charles.
Paul first found international success with the band TAXI, whose acclaimed releases sold over 25,000 copies and earned licensing deals with major global brands including Absolut Vodka, Ferrero Rocher and Timotei. Over the years her has collaborated with a remarkable cast of musicians including Scott Firth, bass player from Public Image Limited; jazz vocalist Polly Gibbons; and Marlon Knauer.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Silly Girl to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of The Natural Curve, including Let’s Make Love Tonight, and the various versions of I Die.