In the final episode of our Lacoste artist spotlight series, we journey to the sunny Pacific coast for the summer vibes of Electric Guest.
When asked if they are nervous or excited about their debut release, Asa and Matthew of Electric Guest simply reply, “Both”. The assured response of a pair used to this industry. Brought together after meeting in a basement studio, the early attentions to Electric Guest were drawn by their backgrounds. Lead singer Asa Taccone’s brother is a founding member of notorious American skit band The Lonely Island, and Asa himself contributed to their ’80s R&B pastiche ‘Dick In A Box’. It’s a fact that could overshadow many bands, but all genitalia aside, when your head turns for Electric Guest, you’ll find it did so for credible reasons.
The early tracks to leak from the duo’s debut, ‘Mondo’, are clinically infectious. Arrays of rosy rhythms and swaggering vocals are packaged in varying sizes, from two-minute ditties to eight-minute epics. The latter number, ‘Trouble Man’, managed to fi nd its way onto LA radio stations statewide despite the mammoth length. Asa admits: “‘Trouble Man’ is super long, yet it’s actually what a lot of people heard fi rst, because of KCRW Radio. We never dreamed of it becoming a single.” Recent track ‘This Head I Hold’ caters for those who like their singles succinct, clocking in as three minutes of electro-acoustic soul.
The creative struggle that comes with creating any debut album was aided by the involvement of long-time friend and renowned producer, Danger Mouse. Yet how the team-up came around is a lot more organic than one would suspect. “I used to call my brother who lived in LA,” begins Asa. “I’d play him little songs of mine over the phone. He said I should play it for a friend of his who does music.” His brother’s friend was a pre-‘Grey Album’ Brian Burton (AKA Danger Mouse) who was studying a music course. “I played him something and he thought it was cool. We became friends and years later he’s producing this record.”
As a completed piece, Electric Guest’s album is the fruition of some creatively fortunate friendships, and the vast skills brought to it shine through on each diverse pop track. As with the similarly constructed success stories of Foster The People and Passion Pit, ‘Mondo’ is going to make more and more sense as the summer advances.
'Mondo' is out now on Because Music.
Footwear by Lacoste l!ve, inspired by colour, graphics and radiance.
Electric Guest wear the Rene, Barbados, Ingaro and Storm styles.
Words by Luke Warth
Photo by Hayley Louisa Brown
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