AlunaGeorge: You Know You Like It EP

AlunaGeorge is a duo from England that specializes in electronic R&B, pairing the vocals of lead singer Aluna Francis with the stuttering, whirring, snapping, clicking, ticking, squeaking, and thumping production of George Reid. The three tracks of the You Know You Like It EP manage this union with varying degrees of success. On the title track, the bass hammers through the divisions provided by the drum beats, giving a feel of reeling, rhythmic enjambment. In contrast to the staccato-bass lurch of “You Know You Like It”, “Just a Touch” takes on more of a lope. “Put Up Your Hands” is the least dance friendly of the three songs, zig-zagging until it picks up speed for the chorus, relying heavily on echoes of the lead vocal line that can be annoying. Francis sings of guilt and denial – “You know you like it but you’re scared of the shame,” “It’s just a touch” – though sometimes she sounds child-like, as if she were a young girl reciting something in a sing-song voice, which undercuts her message. But this debut EP shows confidence – after all, its pointedly named You Know You Like It – and that can go a long way in pop.