Electro beats meets sultry soul on The Preatures' Gideon Benson’s solo debut • Howl & Echoes

There’s more than a little influence from the Thin White Duke on The Preatures’ Gideon Benson’s new single, All Time Low.

Evocative of Davie Bowie circa Young Americans, Benson’s soulful vocals purr while synth licks zap and sizzle above the track’s pulsing beats. Striving to capture the aggressive edge of hip hop acts N.W.A, Bomb the Bass and Kendrick Lamar, Gideon has recruited the mastering talents of producer Leon Zervos, known for mixing down some legendary beats for both the Beastie Boys and the Wu Tang Clan. The combination of flickering drum sequences also instils the track with the throbbing industrial grooves of Bowie’s industrial flirtations circa Earthling.

Inspired by the grinding and transitory realities of life on the road, the dark timbre of the track’s instrumentation underpins it’s bleakly solipsistic lyrics. “This’ll be the price to pay for the silver and gold,” Benson repeats with fevered intensity. The end result is some seriously ominous but undeniably catchy electro soul.

There’s also no shortage of talent on the track. Channelling New Wave influence Siouxsie And The Banshees Gideon’s friend Megan Washington doubles the tracks melodic vocal hooks. Preatures bandmate Jack Moffitt works in some crunchy funk guitar licks while Carlos Adura of Melbourne’s The Tambourine Girls also lends a hand on drums.

Teasing fans with a taste of what’s to come on his debut EP in February Benson’s All Time Low kicks things off to a flying start.

Gideon will be showcasing his new sounds a two one-off shows in Melbourne and Sydney, February 2016.