Angelo

With their Angelo EP, Brijean evoke a clubby dream world inspired by the tropical house, disco, and funk of the 1970s and early 80s. The story goes that around the same time that Brijean released their second album, 2022s Feelings, the duo of percussionist/singer Brijean Murphy and bassist/instrumentalist/producer Doug Stuart were going through some tough times. Not only were they struggling along with everybody else through the COVID-19 pandemic, but they were on the road, traveling in their 1981 Toyota Celica and moving from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was also during this period that Murphys father died and Stuart lost both his parents. Looking for a sense of solace, they began recording, wrapping themselves in bubbly house grooves, 70s disco, and funk. The result is Angelo, an EP named after their trusty Celica that works as a nice companion album to Feelings. Cuts like "Take a Trip," "Shy Guy," and "Ooo La La" have a swirly, psychedelic day-glo quality, like something N.Y.C. club icons Deee-lite might have come up with in the early 90s. Its a vibe Brijean particularly capture on the title track, where bubbly synths rub playfully against waterdrop bass and breathy alien vocals. There are also several more languidly atmospheric cuts like "Where Do We Go?," with its undercurrents of orchestral Latin pop, and "Caldwells Way," both of which sound like the hippest vintage movie-theater intermission music youve ever heard. ~ Matt Collar