“Sunset Behind The Tower Blocks” by EV

Words by Oliver Keane (Creative Opportunities). Photography by Simon Wheatley. Thanks to Stephanie Duncan-Bosu (BLK DNT CRK).

EV is an artist-songwriter-producer exploring a wide-array of influences, ranging from 90’s rave to UK Rap. Hailing from Ipswich, his unmistakably unique voice is always backed up by his unapologetically powerful lyricism, covering topics from nostalgic nights out to painfully raw insights into mental health. Appearing on the scene in 2021, EV has cemented himself as a must-listen for any electric/dance fan, featuring on Ben Gerrans fan favourite “English Lad” which has now amassed millions of streams. EV has spent the last year flaunting his energetic live sets all across the globe, selling out Le Mazette Club in Paris and playing Boomtown, Boardmasters and Latitude festivals.

“Sunset Behind the Tower Blocks” is a vibrant blend of all that had influenced EV, taking the listener through the trails and tribulations of growing up in Britain. Artwork shot by the renowned Simon Wheatley, EV is seen holding his daughter by one of the tower blocks he grew up around. “I’ve wanted to work with him since his early stuff, I remember seeing his early work like Skepta, Kano and all the grime stuff.”

What does the rave culture mean to you personally? Was it something you were around a lot growing up?

“My brother always used to throw parties, so I grew up around the DJ scene. As soon as I turned 18, me and the boys started going to raves. I fell in love with the whole culture, the music, the fashion. It was an escape for me, especially while working a job I didn’t love. It was all about forgetting the Monday-to-Friday grind for a minute. The scene is just so British and cool to me.”

I’ve noticed you also blend other more alternative genres like punk and rock. Did you discover new influences while working on this project?

“Growing up, I listened to a lot of bands like Pixies, Portishead, and The Cure. Recently, I rediscovered the Pixies and felt inspired. Fontaine’s D.C. also played a huge part in influencing the new sound, especially with their raw, energetic style.”

1 . “Weekend Famous” An instantly energetic track to open the project, EV pumps a nostalgic flow over an ethereal synth loop partnered with a nostalgic 90’s style breakbeat. The lyricism feels authentically conversational, as if he’s speaking directly to you about escaping the troubles of day to day life via raves and concerts, as if for a second you’re “Weekend Famous.” “Just forget your life for 48 hours and live like a rock star, a famous person. I've got 1,000,001 songs about that because I used to be that person. I still am, to some degree…”

2 . “Cuppa Tea” Already showing his versatility only two tracks into the EP, “Cuppa Tea” is an explosive, raw insight into the political state of the UK. A blend of punk and DnB, EV performs what feels like a stream of consciousness about the out-of-touch nature of politicians in the House of Commons. “The first tune we actually recorded off the project was Cuppa Tea, which is quite weird, it's such a different sound to the rest of it.”

3 . “Sorry Mum” During “Sorry Mum,” we get a homage to the rave and grime sounds that inspired a lot of EV’s earlier music. An effortless display of the experience and skill that he has gained over the past couple years.

4 . “Chaos” Somewhat synonymous with the second track “Cuppa Tea,” the same irrefutably honest and powerful shouty flow leads into a drop with a vibe we haven’t yet heard on the EP. A wall of distorted synths and a bass line you’d hear from the likes of Skrillex and 2000’s grime.

5 . “Falling Again” A moment to breathe and reflect, EV brings us right down to rock bottom with a painfully honest track about experiencing his first ever panic attack over a sparring guitar part leaving room for EV to open up to us on a level that we haven’t heard from him before. “It hit me one day - I think it was just the pressures of life… and being on a really hot and stuffy tube. I had to get out and then a couple of days later, I made that song about it.”

6 . “Broken Britain” Produced by industry renown Fraser T Smith (Adele, James Morrison, Tinchy Stryder), this track is an anthemic tribute to the trials and tribulations of growing up in Britain and the unhealthy habits we all adopt to try and hold onto some form of sanity. “It’s for the people who go unheard. Where I'm from has inspired me so much because it's a small-town mentality: no one moves out, everyone has their safe jobs, everyone goes on holiday to the same place every year. It's a cycle of boredom and it's depressing. For a lot of my friends, it’s impossible to buy a house. A lot of people can't even afford new clothes or to go out and I felt like we needed a song for these people. You’re not alone.”

7 . “Thierry Henry” The final single released leading into the EP, the track starts off by quoting the title of the project “Sunsets Behind The Tower Block, I finally feel at home.” EV lists off everything that he loves about where he grew up, the music he listened to and every vice him and his piers would rely on to get through the week.

8 . “Grew Up In The Grey” For the closing track, EV once again switches up from anything we’ve heard prior to this project. A sensually smooth guitar part paired with a drum loop and samples that are a lot more relaxed than the rest of the EP. Inspired by a conversation he overheard in a London Pub, it feels like the end of the night, almost comforting the listener that everything will be alright in the end.

What’s the biggest difference between your first EP and this one for you personally?

“The songwriting has changed massively. On my first EP, I had tracks like “Friday Night” and “Come Down.” They were just full of very generic words and it wasn't very poetic. I tapped into that a lot more in the second one; there's more than one way to explain something, you know what I mean? If you were comparing the two to each other, this second EP is just a really mature version of that first one.”

To finish off, what’s your proudest moment to date?

“I love this story… we got booked for a festival in Italy, a place called Trento and we got into the festival, got our wristbands, we went straight to the green room, got a few beers, then we thought, you know, we're gonna have a look around the festival. We went out to the festival, and it was massive. It was like half two in the afternoon, and the stages were packed, there was just people as far as I could see. My brother's my DJ, so he joined me on the front of the stage, and we stood there with our arms around each other just looking out to the sea of thousands of people.”