LANco released an EP exclusively to Spotify recently, a self-titled set of four songs including current single “Troublemaker.” The band are produced by rock-raised Jay Joyce (Little Big Town’s Painkiller, Eric Church’s The Outsiders,) who lends his signature penchant for out-of-the-box choices to the release. LANco are by far one of the most energetic acts to emerge from Nashville of late, with an infectious energy live.
The EP makes some interesting sonic choices – “American Love Story,” for instance, is sparsely instrumented, relying in the chorus on an arpeggiated banjo that suggests gaiety while the lyric is more plaintive. “I was gonna be your forever / and you were gonna be my wife / but you went off to find better / and I was learning all about life / but I was what you wanted, you were what I needed, and we could meet in between / we were gonna be the greatest love story this town had ever seen,” frontman Brandon Lancaster sings on the hook. “High,” which feels more reminiscent of Matchbox Twenty than recent country airwaves, has the opposite effect; the melody and instrumental feel morose, while the lyric croons about a love that’s got him high. “There won’t be no crash and burn / we’re past the point of no return now / this time around, I’m never coming down,” Lancaster practically cautions. Early 2000’s alt-rock thrived on juxtapositions like these, which make for standouts from the group – they’re more than meets the ear, and invite further listens.
Not that LANco don’t play it straight as well. Airy lead single “Troublemaker” (iTunes), though not traditionally produced, is fairly straightforward; uptempo instrumentation pairs with with an ode to attempting a hard-to-get girl, complete with “woo-hoo”s to end each chorus. “We Do” is anthemic, with a hands-in-the-air chorus that’s easy to imagine leaving smiles on the faces of a festival crowd or club. “Here’s to all the times that we’ll never regret,” Lancaster sings in the possibly-clichéd bridge. Even on a song that’s anthemic (which often translates to familiar-feeling and therefore feel-good and communal even on first listen), LANco take chances, with an outro that leans on Queen’s “We Will Rock You” shout-stomp ethos, only to end on an eerie slide, chopped vocal, and rubber-band-bouncy rhythm. The percussion takes chances throughout, for a sonic undertow that’s not always fluid but is always engaging.
Take a listen to the release below, and be sure to catch LANco (website, Facebook, Twitter) at a show near you:
Loved LANco’s set!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!