These are rare sounds for Rats on the Run. It’s a pleasure to kick off with Kingdumb.

‘Fruity’ is an EP of slick garage beats that runs thick with mean grooves and cool sounds. Bass lines warble and wump with a ground level dirt, synth tones spin minimalist samples. Sounds of drum and bass and dubstep have been pinched and re-twisted into two minute measures.

And each track is so short they’re addictive. They blend neons and glitch with a high party vibe and fly by with lo-fi hits of thrill. There’s a fun that’s been had whipping sounds into shape, and it flows through each song and each listen.

Kingdumb’s been on my radar for months. It’s only down to bad timing that he’s not been featured here on ROTR sometime earlier. The pulses come heavy and crisply produced, there’s aggression that’s tempered and kept just under trap. There’s even a hint of 8-bit sly sampling that pokes its wry smile through the craft. And on top of it all is a smooth flow of lyrics that land semi spat, semi spoken. These are house party songs, these are club ready hits, with a roughness that lends them a charm.

The only shame is that no track is longer. Some of these beg for an extended mix that digs deep in the scope of the sounds.

As for stand outs, take ‘Architect’, and the remix of ‘Fruity’. The first is a bass heavy grime slab of garage that spins, weaves and spikes with a meanness and focus that lands somewhere just under vitriol. It’s the toughest of tracks on the EP, heading straight to this month’s new sounds playlist. The latter is a joyously tongue in cheek tune that’s an unholy hybrid of Kraftwerk, The Streets and hard boiled 2000’s dance anthems, all packed down in shrink wrapped proportions.

So I’m sorry I didn’t get to this sooner. But know you’ve heard it I hope you’ll forgive me. Here’s the best four you’ll get out of your five a day, see links below and enjoy.