Hertfordshire isn’t typically a place you’d associate with smooth hip-hop-meets-R&B sounds, but rising duo Cold Callers are about to subvert your expectations. Toch-UQ and Timi.B met in secondary school during their GCSEs. “We started recording at our local youth centre and got more into it,” they have said. “Eventually we invested in our own equipment and ended up converting Toch’s shed into a studio, which is where we record most of our vocals.”
A shed in rainy suburban England is not the first place that comes to mind when listening to their breezy, sunshine-imbued music. Cold Callers’ As the Sun Sets EP, released last year, conjured up vapoury images of cruising through Los Angeles, all sultry and humid – albeit with the subtle inflections of British accents. Deliciously warm touches of jazz and soul give the duo a sound reminiscent of California group the Internet, and the same is true on their forthcoming EP Swallowed By the Sun (you might sense something of a pattern here).
Not content with mere musical aspiration, the pair are also studying for law degrees, citing a desire to understand the industry from a legal point of view. It suggests a bold ambition, and with a global sound that pushes beyond humble beginnings, Toch-UQ and Timi.B are cold callers you’ll want to pick up on.
- Cold Callers’ Swallowed By the Sun EP is out on 26 March
