SINGER, songwriter, Earl Butler, will launch his new single, Raised By Wolves at Heartbreakers bar in Southampton on Sunday.

His music simultaneously reflects his infatuation with 80s music and culture, his Caribbean heritage, and the bittersweet nostalgia of growing up amidst small town drama and claustrophobia.

Raised By Wolves is the first of 3 singles from his upcoming debut EP.

Earl’s songs are often characterised by obsession – with people, concepts, love, regret – and the struggle to become somebody of value.

Often introspective and brooding, but he has a keen preoccupation with tasty hooks and beats.

His biggest musical heroes are Kate Bush and Kanye West, feeling a kinship with anyone making pop music against the grain.

He likes his beats tropical, his synths 80s, and his jackets leather.

Forced into music production when he couldn’t find the right producer to bring his songs to life, his DIY ethic now extends to his live show, performing full arrangements alone with a little help from technology.

Originally a devout guitarist, he swapped the 6-string for a laptop a little over a year ago, attracted to the limitlessness of electronic music and quickly becoming fixated on the pursuit of pop perfection.

“I never set out to write a song with a message,” he said. “But Raised By Wolves feels like it has a pretty strong one.

“I feel like the metaphor in the lyrics explains it way better than I ever could. But I guess primarily it’s about defiance, reaching breaking point and saying that I’m not going to go down without a fight.”