PREP first emerged as a studio project in 2016 with their debut EP Futures, which generated over 7 million streams. Fusing elements of R&B, funk, and jazz into a melting pot of smooth modern pop, the UK band is the improbable alliance of musicians with diverse backgrounds in work experience. PREP was formed while Dan Radclyffe and Tom Havelock were working together in various sessions as producers and noted the emerging influence of soul and jazz, including music that bore a resemblance to “Sailing” by Christopher Cross. It didn’t take much to convince keyboardist Llywelyn ap Myrddin and Guillaume Jambel to join the band as all four members found the sounds and technical intricacy of Steely Dan inspiring for PREP. Ahead of a brief U.S. run of tour dates in February earlier this year, PREP released two new singles, “Over” features Norwegian electro-pop singer/songwriter Anna of the North and “Love Breaks Down”. Havelock spoke about the new music, stating- “The other guys had made an instrumental with a very particular atmosphere, and when I first listened it took me straight to this place—a bit like the house I imagine in Steely Dan’s ‘Aja,’ Havelock said about “Over”. “Somewhere isolated, a big view, a lot of emotional electricity in the air.” “Love Breaks Down” is an upbeat, funkadelic genre hybrid of R&B and jazzy pop. The band’s drummer Guillaume Jambel stated “it came to life after we decided to write a party track – something that would work well in our live show and would be more dance-floor based. A very early evening and smooth kind of dance-floor. The Whispers and Shalamar come to mind, but the track pretty much wrote itself.” PREP’s new album is due for release some time later this year.
B-Sides spoke with PREP about their origins, what they found in Steely Dan’s music that helped inspire them to come together, plans for new music and more.
