7/10

As the chief and songwriter behind the alt-rock juggernaut that is Kasabian, Serge Pizzorno has been a huge driving force behind the sound of British music for more than the last decade. And with his formative group growing ever larger around the world, he has found himself focusing more on the stylistic approach that Kasabian has been forced to adopt these last few years, making sure that each new record can sound bold and impressive at festival and arena shows. But has he delivers his debut solo album under his new moniker, The S.L.P., he has returned back to those humbled days to create a vision with no limits in order to explore these ideas that would no longer work in Kasabian.

Pizzorno has always had this experimental edge to his direction. Rather than try to stick to any particular formula when writing his music, he regularly explores a multitude of sonic aesthetics in order to find something that just clicks, and that is exactly what we get on this new full-length. While it still has that distinct Kasabian sound that we were all expecting, the general tone of this new offering is something far more stripped back and enticing than the simplicity of bold percussion and big riffs. Instead we are beginning to hear the true sound of Serge on these recordings, as each track never looks for a grand buildup but rather explores the subtle eccentricities of his songwriting, making for a far more intimate collection than we initially thought.

From the start, 'The S.L.P.' is walking a tightrope of expectations. He clearly wants to move away from the Kasabian sound he has been trapped in these last few years, but also knows that it is that audience that he will attract the most, and the result is fairly well balanced. It may not be solid gold from beginning to end but makes for a interesting listen with plenty of diverse personality to get your teeth into.