St. Lucia’s sophomore record, Matter, the follow-up to their breakthrough debut When The Night, was produced by bandleader Jean-Philip Grobler along with Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen).
Having recorded the record primarily on a studio consul formerly owned by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Grobler compares Matter to the band’s first LP by saying “if the last album sounded like the tropics, this album is the desert.”
Lead single “Dancing On Glass,” which was co-written with Tim Pagnotta (Walk The Moon) on a west coast writing trip, bubbles over with contagious vivacity as Grobler sings about having the faith to chase what makes you happy, even if logic and practicality tell you it’s bound to fall apart. On the heart pounding “Physical,” he taps into primal lust, while “Help Me Run Away,” co-written with Jack Antonoff (fun./Bleachers), serves as a ode to Grobler’s adopted homeland of America. The album isn’t without its progressive side, though, revealed in songs like “Rescue Me” and “Home”, whose synth lines propels the tunes through countless electronic twists and turns.
“Help Me Run Away” is the latest single from Matter, which was released in January via Columbia Records.
St. Lucia will embark on a fall headline tour that will feature new songs and production in their largest venues to date: The Wiltern in Los Angeles, Terminal 5 in NYC, and House Of Blues in Boston. A second show at NYC’s Terminal 5 has been added due to high demand. For more information and tickets, visit www.StLuciaNewYork.com
St. Lucia also has a slew of festivals on tap this summer. The band is slated to play prominent sets at Lollapalooza (Jul. 28-31), Osheaga (Jul. 29-31), Outside Lands (Aug. 5-7), Bumbershoot (Sep. 2-4) and Austin City Limits (Sep. 30 – Oct. 2).
Released in late January, Matter (the follow-up to St. Lucia’s 2013 album When The Night) has been universally praised, with Rolling Stone drawing comparisons to ‘Prince at his purplest,’ Entertainment Weekly hailing it as ‘the indie dance party album of the year,’ and NYLON citing the 2016 release as ‘a bold new direction for the band.’ St. Lucia’s fusion of catchy synths, hook-laden verses and unabashed power pop caught the attention of KCRW’s Jason Bentley who recently said on an episode of Morning Becomes Eclectic, “this should be the biggest band in the world right now.”
