Single Review: No Strings Attached

I think we have this decade’s Daniel Bedingfield on our hands.

Diversifying his portfolio, The Latest Fallout’s Brendan Pyper has just released his debut single, in the process seemingly leaving his Pop Rock ways behind.

A striking departure from his band’s previous efforts, the 2012 Waikato Young Singers Award winner’s first track is the RnB styled No Strings Attached, which manages to take the old-world sensibilities of his 90’s predecessors and mixes it with the fresh coat of this generation’s production values and aesthetic. The result is something that would feel at home on several of this nation’s often genre specific radio and television stations. Pop enough for The Edge, soulful enough for Mai FM.

Speaking of the age-old problems that come with relationships, the lyrics are relatable enough for those to which words matter. The music is one of those slow jams you put on when you get home in the taxi after successfully navigating the minefield that is dancefloor relationships. Post nightclub sex music as I came to call it, in the context of a previous flatmates after town playlist. It’s a niche market, but Pyper seems to have tapped into it.

While listenable in its current form, this feels like a track begging for a Radio Friendly dance remix. I think that’s what’s going to really make Brendan Pyper a household name, taking his obvious talent and applying it to the music of the masses. Speaking again of the Bedingfield, it was his catchy garage styled Gotta Get Thru This that paved the way for the success of his slower, more romantic If You’re Not The One

While not my genre, biased though I am – it was an upstairs flatmate, and I am not the type for town – I’ll give this a solid 5/5. It’s a strong first effort, and a fine RnB track, especially coming from someone who’s previous work was in a Pop Rock band. It shows Pyper isn’t a one-trick pony, and really shows of his vocal abilities.

You can find No Strings Attached on Spotify and iTunes.

_{Review written by Peter-James Dries}