Lionel Boy

Description

LP isStandard Jacket w/ Download Card, Printed Inner Sleeve & Foldout Poster.

CD is 4 Panel Digipack.

Consider the power of the vibe. After all, the power of positive vibes transcends simple categorization or aSopranos meme. A good vibe is a cool breeze and ice cream on a sweltering afternoon. It is the athlete whose sixth sense and unselfishness makes everyone on the court play better. It is those Bob Ross videos where with a gentle voice and a few quick brush strokes, the painter conjures arcadian beauty. Good vibes are something that the modern world desperately needs. Graciously, such benevolent energy can be found onLionelBoy, the Innovative Leisure self-titled debut LP fromLionelBoy, the Oahu-bred singer-songwriter.

In the case ofLionelBoy, the native Hawaiian sense of the Mahalo spirit is inextricable from the art. And like the word Mahalo, there is a deeper meaning to the music beyond superficial translation. Mahalo literally translates to thank you, but its an entire approach to life: it encompasses the value of thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude. While those might easily interpret it as indifference and apathy, it is a product of profound connectivity and three-dimensional perspective. Few things are more difficult than making a work of art appear effortless. The airy, jazz-cracked, electronic pop ofLionelBoybelies a wistful romanticism, a careful observational streak, and a meditative fixation on life and death.

A famous John Keats quote holds that you shouldnt write poems unless the words come naturally as leaves falling from a tree. In a slightly different sense, you can use this notion to trace the trajectory ofLionels career. For most of his life, the apostle of chill bornLionelDeguzman was a skater kid. The pursuit taught him the value of individuality — in the sense that there are myriad ways to ride a skateboard and you find your own way by figuring out your own natural style — a singularity that sets you apart from everyone else who can do a backside 180. Its this attitude with whichLionelapproaches music. Even then, this evolution had a streak of serendipity.

In the summer of 2018,Lionelfirst entered a studio in Long Beach with two close friends (hed moved to the West Coast port city several years prior). The recording session started by shouting obscenities into the microphone. But inspiration slowly took root and theLionelBoyvision began to manifest. That same year,Lionelbegan working with the celebrated producer Jonny Bell on an unrelated project. The strength of the artistic kinship eventually led him to produce theLionels first single, Are You Happy Yet, and theWho Is Dovey? EP, released on Innovative Leisure.

Flash forward, a few years later, and the creative union has led toLionelBoy, an electric synthesis ofLionels sounds — whichFADERpreviously hailed as slacker pop (alternate ascription: liquor store pop.). Its a warm and mellow album built to keep you company on long drives. IfLionels artist DNA stems from a classic singer-songwriter tradition, its been subtly transposed with the influences of the rappers, beatmakers, and R&B singers that dominate his listening habits. Kam Highway sounds like a breathless moonlit torch ballad laced with a touch of inspiration derived from Boi-1das kicks on Mob Ties. With Tides,LionelBoyupdates Jack Johnson and Ben Harper for a generation in dire need of expansive and endearing mood music. Mango Michelada reimagines the synth sounds often used by Frank Ocean to create a song that comes off as refreshing and tropically chill as its namesake.

Despite being recorded during the pandemic,Lioneland Bell somehow managed to create an antidote for the anxiety. Theyd visit each other several times a week, slowly fleshing out the demos thatLionelrecorded at home, aided by a squadron of highly gifted virtuosos (Fred Garbutt, synthesizers; Bell, Nic Gonzales, Andrew Pham and Sam Wilkes, bass; Brett Kramer, drums; Sarah Hinesly, keys, and Andres Renteria on percussion). LionelBoyis soulful and easy-going, both introspective and laissez faire. Extremely mellow but never soft-headed.

For a moment fraught with stress and chaos, this album is a relaxed exhale of joy. Yet it refuses delusion. These are real-life circumstances that play out with thought and concern. After all, there is a subtlety to the art of the vibe.LionelBoyisnt just playing a series of chords to create a serene mood. Its at the essence of his being. Something that cant be forced or faked. A timeless cool apart from momentary trends, eternal as the tides rolling in and out.