After releasing the "Everything Is Slow" album with Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay as Bright & Findlay, Hampshire's James Alexander Bright returns to the Athens of The North fold with a new 7" double single "Fall For You / Viper Flames". A man of words, melodies and illustration, James has spent the last decade sketching out a small universe of pastoral soul music with a Balearic bounce, all through his solo work (as James Alexander Bright and even earlier, Hairy Hands) and collaborations with Groove Armada, Bright & Findlay, Feiertag, Scrimshire and Flying Mojito Bros.

On 'Fall For You,' James sings in a romantic falsetto, paying a very personal homage to the power of love. Flickering guitars, funky drums, and a laid-back bassline ebb and flow in the background as he serves up a sunkissed slice of psychedelic soul. Meanwhile, on 'Viper Flames,' James traces around a similar set of stylistic motifs, juggling toe-tapping funk sensibilities with wistful beachside campfire vocals. Played live, I could easily imagine these songs stretching out into extended odysseys where the groove keeps on giving, and James always has one more refrain tucked away in his back pocket.

Fall For You / Viper Flames is out now through Athens of the North (order here)