Bleep

Originally hailing from Newcastle, Will Archer aka Slime has been a low-key fixture of South London’s alternative pop landscape for a few years now. Since 2011, Archer has released two EPs of lovelorn, introspective R&B, performed alongside a youth orchestra at the Tate Modern, collaborated with bands like Vondelpark and Australian singer George Maple, and notched up a co-writing and production credit on Jessie Ware’s Mercury-nominated debut album Devotion. So it’s about time that Archer had his own moment in the sun. Released through Domino’s experimental sister label Weird World, Slime’s debut album Company sees Archer refine his sophisticated songwriting, luscious production, and confessional lyricism across its 10 tracks (which were culled from a whopping 400-odd demos). Company isn’t a hard-hitting, immediate album: instead, it’s a subtle, intricate listen that reveals itself to patient listeners. Archer’s delicate production (which deploys found sounds and a huge variety of instrumentation) imbues each song with a sort of post-night out intimacy, while guest vocalists Selah Sue (‘At Sea Again’) and rapper Jeremiah Jae (‘Patricia’s Stories’) bring a sense of clarity to the album that sits in contrast to Archer’s own textural, impressionistic vocals.