6/10

Last year, British punk duo Slaves rebranded themselves as SOFT PLAY, as their previous incarnation no longer represented who they were and the band they wanted to be seen as. But while that announcement has yet to garner any new material from the pair, frontman Isaac Holman did introduce us to his solo project Baby Dave with his impactful debut LP 'Monkey Brain', a record that created quite the buzz when it was first released. And barely a year since that full-length, he now returns with his sophomore studio album 'Different Gravy', a record brimming with intriguing innovation.

Seemingly attempting to recreate what Damon Albarn managed when he first moved from Blur to Gorillaz, this Baby Dave project has almost nothing to do with his previous ventures and instead hones in on this brilliantly diverse and varied direction. Taking that uncompromising punk attitude of his and merging with a mix of reggae, soul, hip-hop and so much more throughout this new outing, 'Different Gravy' aims to cement him as one of the more adventurous names doing the rounds, creating something genuinely surprising and enjoyable throughout.

It may not be to everyone's taste, but for those looking for something that truly stands out and breaks almost every convention you can think of, 'Different Gravy' is the record for you. Holman is clearly looking to make something of his Baby Dave project and this new release has "cult favourite" written all over it.