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“De Lux have concocted the perfect mix of disco, post-punk and funk"
KCRW
"New Summers" by De Lux - originally from their latest album Do You Need A Release? gets a reconstruction by Jason Bentley
Jason Bentley is a Los Angeles based DJ and Grammy nominated record Producer. During his tenure as Music Director of acclaimed SoCal radio station KCRW, Jason consistently supported De Lux as host of the daily music program Morning Becomes Eclectic and ongoing Saturday night mix show Metropolis.
“I love the band” remarked Jason “and after hearing “New Summers” I became obsessed with the idea of a different song arrangement - not so much a remix - but rearranging existing elements. The song already has all this smoldering Disco energy, and I wanted to bring that out more and shape it so the song hit differently. I reached out to the band with the idea, and thankfully the guys let me pull apart the original multi-tracks and create the version I was hearing in my head."
Following the release of "New Summers" last month, De Lux drop new single "Morning Misses Me" from their upcoming album Do You Need A Release? They had this to say on the gorgeous piano ballad, out now: "Morning Misses Me is about forever being a night owl. No matter the noise or the time, mornings are always missed." Read more about it on CLASH.
After writing, performing, recording, and producing three albums themselves, De Lux have traded their typically hermetic recording process at their Burbank studio for a more collaborative experience. The result is their most dynamic record yet, titled Do You Need A Release?
Do You Need A Release? Is De Lux at their poppiest, their prettiest, danciest, but also their most abrasive. The record is built on an uncomfortable bed of tension which when released is immediately satisfying in unpredictable and surprising ways. The verses often pummel you with aggressive beats and grooves only to blossom into open, encouraging, and even angelic refrains. Or the other way around, like in first single “New Summers”, where the choruses don’t resolve, and the drums are a never ending build up that disorients you—reminding you that summer will never be the same again. Out now, the band had this to say on it:
“New Summers refers to a life change. The post effects of a childhood home being sold. There was a distinct nostalgic feeling with this home in the summer. Swimming, family gatherings, ice cream trucks, hot concrete and skating. With the house gone, New Summers music paints the picture of the vibrant summers that once were, but the lyrics highlight the darker and sadder tones of having to accept the loss and fading of old times”
Do You Need A Release? is filled with questions and not answers, but each riddle is its own answer as pseudo philosophical as that can sound. While Sean Guerin’s lyrics are filled with uncertainty and affirmation, the irony is that the grooves are as solid as they’ve ever been. De Lux matters because they make music to dance to and be inspired by—they exist to ask us the questions we’re often too afraid to move our bodies to. That may sound hyperbolic but their ambitions are not an exaggeration. With no pun intended, Do You Need A Release? comes out this September 23rd.