Recommended If You Like: Smallpools, COIN, Glass Animals
Vox Eagle’s debut sneaks up on you, rising slowly like a giant wave that promises to crash upon an unsuspecting shore. Sure enough, Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1 engulfs listeners in a warm, vibing bliss of sun-kissed melodies and pumped-up lyrics that inevitably make us feel larger than life.
‘Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1’ – Vox Eagle
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/338612620?secret_token=s-kTVCy” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”350″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering Vox Eagle’s debut EP Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1, officially out Monday, July 24. The independent duo of Luke Hamel and Andy Crosby craft an enticingly energetic sound through vibrant songwriting that mixes traditional Beatles-y lyrics and melody combinations with a more modern studio approach. The result is an organic, absolutely mesmerizing sound that grabs us quickly and holds on tight: You won’t know what hit you until it’s too late, and by then you’ll already have Vox Eagle on repeat.
The first in a two-part series that will capture the full scope of Vox Eagle’s artistry, Flamingo Paradiso Pt.1 is the doorway into a band that wants its listeners to have a good time. “We want to make a kind of party EP for Part 1,” explains Andy Crosby, “and then Part 2 gets a little darker. With the first EP, we didn’t want anything too serious – just some jammers you could put on while you’re getting ready for the night ahead. [It’s] basically the pre-party and the party, the up, shall we say. Vegas til midnight.”
Pulsing songs like the beckoning “Come Over,” the euphoric “No Sleep,” and the restless and reckless “Sweet Temptations” keep us in an almost-constant trance of ecstasy; the bliss is infectious, seeping into our pores with carefree delight. Behind these perfectly-crafted songs are more mindful lyrics that cut deeper into the humans behind the record’s stoic figures: This is not pop without depth – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Underneath each creation is a tale of redemption and dreams; of fighting to persevere, and embracing that which you know will not last.
According to Luke Hamel, “Flamingo Paradiso Pt.1 were the first batch of songs that came from our traveling recording sessions. Basically setting up little mobile studios wherever we were – be it air bnbs, cabins, buses, trains, etc., and just plug into the laptop and record.” Without that context, you would never guess this to be a “mobile bedroom” record – yet here we are. It should be worth mentioning that Vox Eagle’s debut single “No Sleep” has amassed over 575,000 streams on SoundCloud in 8 months’ time – a formidable number that speaks leagues to their “pop” potential.
But let us not inflate heads so soon. What really makes Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1 a success, in my book, is its ability to strike a profound balance between the simple and the complex, the light and the dark, and the ‘pop’ and the strange. The record’s final chapter is a stunning display of experimental gold that comes second to the band’s glistening dream-pop, but serves as an anchor to these two individuals’ creative genius. “Jungle Song” is a psychedelic pop-driven escape fantasy, a fever dream of anthemic glory fueled by hazy synth swells. Think of Glass Animals with the pop bend of The 1975: Somewhere within that analogy, exists “Jungle Song.” Vox Eagle leave us to ruminate in the peppy “Plastic People,” which sees the band fully blend their flavorful pop licks with experimental layering, sampling, and processing.
It is also a proper set up to Part 2, which is already in the works and “is more the dark side of the (Vegas) strip after midnight, trying to find your way home from the strip club without your wallet.” Bold and bashful, Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1 is a strong introduction that turns our full attention toward a new name with a big sound. Vox Eagle have landed with much bombast and flare, and they’re ready to be your go-to band. Listen to the full record through Atwood Magazine’s exclusive stream, and peek inside Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1 with Atwood Magazine as Vox Eagle provide their personal take on each of the EP’s songs below!
:: Flamingo Paradiso Pt. 1 ::
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Come Over
“Come Over” was the first song Andy I worked on together. At the beginning, the idea of Vox Eagle was to blend modern dance grooves with psychedelia, and I think this gets pretty close to what we had in mind. A touchstone for us on this song was “Let Forever Be” by the Chemical Brothers.
No Sleep
“No Sleep” came from one of those recording sessions you dream about as a musician. Our friend, Zach Seman, a pop producer in New York City, and I crafted the beat. When Andy came in he wrote that chorus on the spot and nailed the melody. At the end of the two inspired days and sleepless nights, the song was basically done minus some lyric and production tweaks.
Summer Now
“Summer Now” is a wish for summer to last forever.
Sweet Temptations
Andy and I, being hedonists, sometimes have trouble saying no to “Sweet Temptations”. The INXS vibe on this song fits the mood we were feeling when we wrote the lyric.
Jungle Song
My girlfriend once said that the “Jungle Song” sounds like what you would hear playing at a discotheque in the middle of the Amazon jungle. That pretty accurately describes what Vox Eagle is going for, I think.
Plastic People
“Plastic People” is a little different than the others in that I sing lead on it. As far as I’m concerned there’s not enough phasered guitar riffs in dance music these days, so that should explain a lot of the sounds on this one. Lyrically, Andy and I were trying to capture what it was like to be a teenager, when life felt vivid and before you just give up and become your parents.
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