The S.L.P. is a new project by Serge Lorenzo Pizzorno, Kasabian’s guitarist and songwriter. And he’s called on Little Simz, one of the hottest UK rappers around, for a collaboration. The first release from The S.L.P. comes in the form of new single ‘Favourites’, which had its first spin as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record on Radio 1 last night.
Ultimately, this track will split opinions as much as pineapple on pizza. Granted, we need innovative artists who have the balls to chuck something different into the mix, otherwise we could all be rumbling along while musical variety evanesces. Yet, for some, putting pineapple on pizza will be just that step too far.
It’s a curious proposition, combining swaggering rock n roll royalty with one of the most exciting new propositions coming out of the UK rap and hip-hop scene. Pizzorno’s new side project has the potential to earn him new fans, and possibly get Little Simz fans listening to Kasabian and vice versa; the rock ’n’ roll stalwart has the potential here to combine two very different worlds, which surely is a very powerful thing. Serge admits this hot UK rapper “completely blew me away”. He continues, “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, make music with hip hop or grime artists.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the track, Serge says, “‘Favourites’ is about identity in the digital age. I was interested in how online dating is a sort of snapshot of this identity crisis. Through the speed and structure of the song, I wanted to capture the feeling of the real you inside your head trying to get out and escape during a first date. It’s a dialogue between two people who are coming to terms with their true selves through their digital interaction becoming a physical one.”
Sonically, however, the track sounds a little bit disjointed and incoherent. A strong start with a groovy bassline combining RnB-style beats proceeds to go a little off-piste with Pizzorno’s heavily affected arena-rock style vocal. Little Simz comes in and takes the level up a notch, but it feels very different to the rest of the song; you could be mistaken for thinking you’d accidentally hit shuffle play.
There’s something interesting going on here, and it’s an intriguing first listen of Pizzorno’s new project. Keep your eyes peeled for the next release, and live dates are to be announced soon.
