Drawing on elements of modern jazz and soul with nods to Frank Ocean and Sampha, South-London based Quinn Oulton delivers a stark, poignant message on ‘Sober’, offering a personal perspective on the complex discussion surrounding sexual assault and consent. Through his direct writing style, he addresses a topic that tends to be overlooked – the repercussions of sexual assault within a friendship group. He presents a first-person narrative following the challenges faced by the victim and those supporting them.
The unexpected combination of experimental, minimalist use of sampling with heavily distorted guitars and soaring falsetto vocals results in an intensely unique twist on a progressive R&B sound.
Quinn explains: “We are finally seeing more open discussion around sexual assault and violence against women in the wake of the #metoo movement. I’ve been seeing it spoken about on social media and the news more and more, and I wanted to write a song to contribute to this dialogue. In particular, I wanted to bring up one aspect of it that I feel has been largely ignored, which is when sexual assault happens within a friendship group.”
He goes on to add: “It seems to me that when sexual assault happens within a friendship group, men are given the benefit of the doubt, whereas women’s experiences are questioned or ignored. This often leads to women feeling isolated and alone. This is really frustrating, given that the majority of sexual assaults happen between people that know each other. I want to express full solidarity with women who have experienced this, and hope that this song encourages people to be receptive to those who ask them for support.”
Quinn Oulton exhibits a raw sound, melding soaring vocals and tangled acoustic textures with abstract electronics. The sound is deeply unique, which is understandable when you consider the journey that he has taken to reach this point in his career.