Last July, for my first ever new music blog, I featured Oxford's Hugo Manuel, aka Chad Valley, and the rather lovely Up and Down.
Nearly a year later, Manuel is about to release a seven-track follow-up entitled Equatorial Ultravox that – despite sounding like an album title Muse would reject for being too overblown – is a continuation of his brilliant way with lush, melancholic electronica. The first single from the EP is Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel?), a soaring paean to youthful hopes and dreams, featuring pillow-soft beats, layers of backing vocals (the track also features Rose Dagul of Rhosyn) and a delicious keyboard riff.
For the video – a Guardian exclusive – director Lucy Bridger has created an intimate, black-and-white portrait of a young couple sharing tender moments, before the girlfriend's obsession with all things circular leads to a slightly unnecessary squabble over a glass ball.
Equatorial Ultravox is released on 20 June via Loose Lips
