Banks

As British author Sebastian Faulks put it so eloquently in his novel Engleby, "One thing about London is that when you step out into the night, it swallows you." While that may be a tad dramatic, the haunting vocals and dark production of L.A. singer Banks's London EP envelop the listener. Comprised of four brief chapters, Banks sings aloud her innermost thoughts on love, heartbreak and jilted romance. Out of the gate, the SOHN-produced "Waiting Game" boasts a growling bass line that throbs like an infection as the song reaches its climax. "Change" provides the most markedly different sound, possessing a lighter tempo as she pleads, "Baby don't go/I didn't know/I'll change, I swear." Unfortunately, Banks tends to fall back on the same themes of falling in and out of love, relying on her unique instrumentals and smoky voice to cover her otherwise ordinary lyrics. Despite these issues, London is a fitting prologue before her inevitable debut album.