With a debut album on the way via the ever-impressive Anti-Records (Neko Case, Tom Waits) on 3 June, Xenia Rubinos has revealed her attention-demanding first single. 'Lonely Lover' pulsates along with an effortless swagger, as an intelligent, bluesy bass line drives the action along below Rubinos' beautifully characteristic vocal. “With the vocals I got into this spooky romantic zone thinking of singers like Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and the funk of Chaka Khan,” she explains. And it's clearly a technique that's working, as this release feels like it exists entirely in its own space, blending hip-hop, RnB and jazz in a powerfully contagious recipe, as eye-opening and unusual as it is catching. -G.O'B