If you’ve missed the freeform psych-jazz explorations of LONER, new single “You Need a Vacation” does an enviable job of replicating the adventurous spirit and playful spontaneity that made the group’s 2017 debut In the Tides of Time such a delight. Bandleader Joshua Loner has always displayed a significant appetite for ambitious arrangements, and here the singer and songwriter allows themselves plenty of room to wander with a slew of dynamic grooves that skirt the lines between jazz fusion, psychedelic rock, and cosmic funk.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the track is a joy to listen to. The way the song continually threatens to trip over its stuttering syncopation before magically finding its feet and bounding to the next obstacle is both beguiling and fiendishly satisfying.
But part of what makes LONER’s music so intriguing is the way they marry their dense structures to introspective lyrics that trace the enigmatic contours of the human experience. In this case, it’s the struggle to divorce ourselves from and find self-fulfillment in an online world that’s constantly serving us new information and stimuli. “Are my outsides representative of my insights? / Are my daylights spent recovering from my nightlife?” Loner sings, revealing a central dilemma that keeps us bound to the here and now: We may all yearn for escape, but time and money always drag us back to the task at hand.
Listen below.
More Info
Bandcamp: loneratl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @LonerATL
Instagram: @loner_atl