La Bouquet Make Music For ‘Sad People Dancing’ (album stream) (premiere)

La Bouquet brings together Bryan Sammis, Jake Lopez, and Drew Bruchs, three musicians informed by the nostalgia of the 1980s and the ethos of post-punk. The outfit puts its musical wares on display via the new album Sad People Dancing, out 26 April. With those aforementioned influences and attitudes, the Los Angeles-based trio demonstrate that they can bridge the distance between hard-charging pop and sweet R&B via tracks such as “Bad News!” and “Loveless” (an easy candidate for future classic status among La Bouquet fans).

With Sammis’ lyrics provide listeners with plenty to contemplate throughout the album, including the beautiful and haunting “Pure Heartbreak” and the deeply memorable titular track. With Lopez on guitar and Bruchs on a variety of instruments, the band demonstrates that pretty can be powerful amid “Loser Baby” and “The Sound of Me Dying”.”

There’s more than first meets the ear on this record with unexpected turns and layers that demand repeated listening.

The band offered this to listeners on the eve of the record’s release, “We hope you enjoy this album from the bottom of our broken hearts. It is everything we’ve wanted to say, everything we’ve wanted to feel, every emotion we’ve been trying to convey. It’s like having a conversation with your therapist trying to transport them to that moment in your life when you really felt something deep and personal and they say, ‘I understand. I’ve been there too.'” You look in their eyes, and you know they mean it. You know you’re not alone. You know that you’re in this together. Translucent pontification, try-hard annunciation, that fleeting moment of wonder, or sorrow …of sonder. Bonding with another through artificial sounds. From a keyboard to a hard drive to your heart.”