Originally the solo project of Paul Smith, he of Reading's rock never-rans Heartwear Process, Quiet Quiet Band grew from an initial idea of basic solo home recordings of whisper-quiet songs with a revolving roster of backing musicians into an intense six-piece collective, of which 'Flatlands' is the first true taster.In advance of a debut album due out at the tail end of 2012, this initial recording of 'Flatlands' is a step away from the Bad Seeds influence of their previous incarnations, drawing strengths instead from the likes of 16 Horsepower, Sparklehorse and Robert Wyatt amongst others.With a powerful live show honed over the past couple of years including recent supports to Young Knives and Emmy the Great, QQB are armed well for 2012.