Defining themselves as an ‘anti-recording duo’, the pair bring together five nuggets from years of spontaneous jams.

Dan Carey will be well known to readers as the founder and producer behind South London’s beloved Speedy Wunderground Records. Benjamin Romans-Hopcraft is a similarly familiar face on the scene, a multi-instrumentalist known for his work in Childhood and later Warmduscher. In this formulation, the old friends are an entirely different beast, christened Miss Tiny. The duo’s stunning debut EP, ‘DEN7’ is out today on Carey’s Speedy Wunderground label, he in charge of guitar and producing duties and Romans-Hopcraft handling drums and vocals.

Opening track ‘River Hands’ introduces ‘DEN7’ with deep bass and crisp electric guitar, which meanders and navigates its way above a steady flow of firmly beaten drums. The vocal melody is ever so enticing as it gradually builds in intensity simultaneously with the instruments it floats effortlessly upon. Following this, ’Sailing’ takes on more of a laid-back feeling. Strummed acoustic guitar lays the foundation for bright licks which coincide in direct contrast to Romans-Hopcraft’s gloomy and sombre baritone vocals.

Previously released single, ‘The Beggar’ is a masterful pop song. Angular, jagged guitar is anchored by tightly-wound drums with impressive fills aplenty. The track features a creative vocal melody from Romans-Hopcraft and extraordinary backing vocals which compliment one and other throughout. Adorned with complex arrangements and rhythms an ever-flowing feeling is generated, demonstrating the intelligence and ability of Miss Tiny.

Penultimate track ‘The Sound’ is hard-edged and builds in its intensity as it progresses. Muddy guitar drones over clean drums while the vocals are mopingly dragged out. The song feels rather busy, humming with noise, tying in to its theme of inner-city claustrophobia. Closing the EP, ‘Grit’ brings soulful guitar from Carey together with a deeply melancholy vocal line from Romans-Hopcraft. It gently brings the first collection from Miss Tiny to a sombre finish.

Defining Miss Tiny is a process described by the duo as ‘anti-recording’, by which they mean each track is recorded purely for the joy of it. Make or break, the duo either produced something worth refining or simply moved on to the next idea, this ultimate handful of songs being pieced together after spontaneous, trial-and-error jams. The result is frankly expressive, shot through with flashes of the two collaborators’ brilliance.