Evan Gabriel is having a yacht party.
Producer Boat House recently teamed up with singer/songwriter Mán Cub to form the electronic band, Feel The Love. Their first offering arrives in the form of a reflective, self-titled EP. Signed to Chicago’s Closed Sessions imprint, Boat House has released dynamic hip hop music for the last few years, crafting tracks for some of the Midwest’s best up and comers, including Allan Kingdom, WebsterX, Drea Smith, Kipp Stone, LUCKI, and Kweku Collins. 2015’s Hibernation EP, is a laconic ode to staying inside and pushing creativity in spite of frigid weather, featuring Boat House’s unique knack for blending spaced-out atmosphere with fidgety, dance floor drums.
Feel The Love is short, and that might just be the point. The group’s message is unfiltered and pertinent: love is the most important ingredient of life. Basic principles such as empathy, compassion, and trust are put at a premium. Feel The Love is a three-song exploration of camaraderie, and what it means to offer yourself to others while expecting something back. Push and pull, etc.
There’s a pastoral, even rustic quality to the songs, with plenty of texture in the percussion. “Shared Desires” is perhaps the most open and unfiltered take at the duo’s sound. The chords are house-y and careening. At one point, a mouse-like sample bobs in the background: “Hold Up, wait a minute.”
The final song of the EP, “Feel The Love,” is a standout. There’s the “Wamp Wamp” style drums, and at times, Mán Cub’s voice feels stripped down, almost naked. Will there be a self-titled follow-up to this? Will it be as good? We’ll see.
If you’re in the Midwest, you can ask Boat House this Friday, March 24th, at Metro in Chicago, where he will be performing alongside a stacked lineup for the showcase, An Evening With Closed Sessions. The show will also feature performances from Kweku Collins, Oddcouple, Kip Stone, and a special guest set from DJ RTC. You can cop tickets here.
