You may have noticed that we’re somewhat a fan of North London duo Dan Cobb and James Cullen aka TENDER. From the downtempo bedroom beats of ‘Armour’ to the morerishly dark R&B in ‘Cut’ to current predecessor ‘Violence’ which hints towards slick dance rhythms, plus a whole load of tracks in between. Their newest release ‘Design’ seems to have it all. Synth keys and ticking beats are shortly followed by a tweaked funky bass line before an explosion of sounds add the final layer of vibrant instrumentation. For the most part, ‘Design’ sounds infectiously upbeat, but that’s merely a bandaid to hide the track’s more problematic storyline. TENDER explain that the song “is about being in a relationship so controlling, destructive and unhealthy that it’s tearing your normal life apart. Despite knowing the eventual outcome you continue to indulge and ignore the signs because you’re so trapped in the moment.” The luxurious arrangement puts the listener in the mindset of an entranced lover, but as with flawed relationships, we also know that the song too will come to an end. Thankfully for us, the repeat button is just one click away. - HT