Seraphina Lotkhamnga on August 19th, 2014

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If you’re part of the EDM circuit, you may be familiar with Afrojack’s international hit “Ten Feet Tall.“ However, if you’re like us at BBLA and are more interested in the Chris Martin-like voice behind the soaring melodies than those stereotypical bass drops, then let us introduce Stephen Wrabel. Simply doing business as Wrabel, the singer-songwriter’s recently released debut EP “Sideways” shows off those vocals in an unashamedly naked way in the same manner Sam Smith performs the acoustic version of Disclosure’s “Latch.” In Wrabel’s case, his full voice, which can often soar into a pure falsetto, is accompanied by arrangements of not synth but of piano and strings. This organic route highlights the romantic undertones of “Ten Feet Tall” and also breaks off into another path for songs like the title track, which presents a nice electro-pop balance. Wrabel’s “Sideways” EP is out now via Island Records.

||| Stream: “Sideways” and the original version of “Ten Feet Tall”

||| Live: Wrabel performs Wednesday at Room 5.