Prep

Drawing from sleek '80s pop, lite jazz-funk, and smooth R&B, the U.K. quartet PREP applies a lovesick perspective to synth pop. A collective of seasoned producers formed the London-based band, which Tom Havelock—also known as Tom Cane—fronts. The group surfaced in 2016 already in full command of its style via the debut EP Futures. Among its tracks, both "Who's Got You Singing Again" and "Cheapest Flight" accumulated tens of millions of streams. Two further EPs preceded the self-titled full-length PREP, which surfaced in 2020. The 2022 cover of Harry Styles' "As It Was" and the 2023 original "One Day at a Time" adhered to the same successful approach that sustained the band's multi-million streaming figures.

In London, producer/composer Llywelyn Ap Myrddin on keys initiated the project by crafting instrumentals alongside drummer/producer Guillaume Jambel, who records as GIOM. Grammy-nominated producer Daniel Radclyffe on guitars became an admirer of their work, prompting the trio to launch an independent venture. Singer Tom Havelock, already recognized in dance-music circles as vocalist/songwriter Tom Cane, soon completed the lineup. Refining an approach that refreshed and intensified '80s pop and sophisti-pop influences, the band issued the four-song EP Futures on B3SCI Records in October 2016. The same tracks that later amassed tens of millions of streams across platforms were "Who's Got You Singing Again" and "Cheapest Flight."

Duets with R&B artists Dean and Reva Devito appeared on the second EP, Cold Fire, which Jeffrey International released in May 2018. Later that year the same label put out Line by Line, which featured funk guitarist Cory Wong, alt-pop singer So!YoON!, and additional guests. Retaining the refined pop sensibility and sonic range established on the debut EP, the band's first album, PREP, arrived via Bright Antenna Records in October 2020; its contributors included rapper/singer Miso, saxophonist Mike Lesirge, and a 16-piece string orchestra. PREP resumed activity in 2022, issuing new material highlighted by January's "The Kid." That August the band reinterpreted Harry Styles' "As It Was," then delivered its own "One Day at a Time" in April 2023.