London’s glorious R&B experimentalist Jai Paul went on a self-imposed hiatus in 2013 following the leak of six years worth of music. Now, he’s ready for a return, and it starts with turning over the past — the right way. He’s launched a new website and shared two new singles, “Do You Love Her Now” and “He.” These are his first official releases since 2012 and they bring the world back to his land of stormy funk and icy grooves.
Paul shared two songs on June 1 after posting an extremely complex return to Twitter after vacating the social media space six years ago.
He then went on to share the link to his new website with the new music. “I’ve been working on some music and a website recently so I’d like to share that with you,” he wrote. “I hope u like it, cheers, Jai.”
If you want to get into some bubbly funk, “Do You Love Her Now” is what to sink your teeth into. It starts slow before unfolding itself as a ball of electricity and molten lava spread over a field of flowers. Tight rumbling and bumbling guitars are gripped with vines by snare drums that snap like turtles. Paul’s falsetto drizzles like chocolate syrup over Maraschino cherries on ice cream, for a sweet treat with an explosive center.
“He” is more tightly woven than its groovy tether: shiny and nostalgic, a modern-day replica of a Woodstock relic. It’s deeper and more open and it shakes and hisses with the soft and sharp voice of Paul filling its cracks. It’s nearly six minutes long and it works thanks to its immersive nature.
Paul’s website also contains the songs from the leak in Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones). It’s available to download and you can pay what you want for it. In an accompanying letter with the download, Paul elaborated on the journey to the new music and reflected on the leak. He also revealed that 10 percent of profits on merch will go to mental illness organization SANE.
Listen to the funky worlds of “Do You Love Her Now” and “He” up above.