July 24, 2020 |
Have you been keeping busy during lockdown? We could lie and say we’ve spent our days baking banana bread, going on runs or even picking up a passion for crochet. Yet all we’ve actually done was eat and watch re-runs of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills just to feel something. The same couldn’t be said for Jessy Lanza. The Canadian electro-pop artist has been shooting music videos over Zoom, performing live sets from her bedroom and hosting DJ sets from the boot of her van. The same van, in fact, that appears on the cover of her brand new LP, All The Time, out today. “I’m living the dream in that minivan!” she says. This is Lanza’s third full-length record, released on London-based label Hyperdub (Burial, DJ Rashad). With each release, Lanza has come more into her own. From the glitchy Pull My Hair Back, to the 1980s-inspired Oh No, through to All The Time – a poppy, R&B-twinged set of tunes that show a musician in cruise control, drifting firmly into her own lane.
Working with ongoing collaborator Jeremy Greenspan, of the band Junior Boys, the pair recorded the album just before Lanza moved from New York to San Francesco. Packed with punchy choruses, pitched vocal glitches and sensual, melodic groovelines, All The Time shows Lanza at her most confident form. Standout tracks include “Face”, a robotic banger practically built for the age of URL parties; the incredibly infectious “Lick in Heaven”, which sees Lanza sport a rather terrific red-berry suit and “Baby Love” – an unadulterated love song that harks back to the golden age of R&B (Janet Jackson, Brandy, Aaliyah). Whether its club-ready tunes or blissful slow jams, Lanza envisions a clashing slew of sounds that bulldoze into one another to create a rather brilliant album without a dull moment. Whilst we spend the rest of our days slowly grooving in our office chairs to one of our favourite records of the year, we’ve quizzed Ms Lanza on a few things for your viewing pleasure.
1. What were you listening to in the studio whilst making All The Time?
“I was listening to Denzel Curry’s record Zuu quite a lot as well as “Grafts” by Kara Lis Coverdale. I also listened to Alexander O’ Neal and the SOS Band a lot too.”
2. If you could only listen to one of your Hyperdub label mates for the rest of your life, who would it be?
“That’s a tough decision but it would be DJ Rashad. He’s one of my biggest inspirations and his catalogue is pretty big so I’d have lots of music to listen to.”
3. What’s the best thing about pop right now?
“I liked that “Yummy” song by Justin Bieber. That’s a fun one – it has a nice chord progression.”
4. What’s the worst?
“Celebrities running for office.”
5. What’s your go-to studio look?
“I made a rule for myself that I’m not allowed to wear pyjamas in my studio.”
6. If you could duet with anyone, who would you choose?
“I would love to do a duet with the Scottish comedian Limmy – something like this.“
7. What can one expect when attending a Jessy Lanza show?
“I’m thinking that because clubs aren’t open I might start driving around the San Francisco area and do live shows out of the back of the van. If we can find a shady parking lot where everyone can stay safe and social distance I think it would be a really fun way to do a show.”
8. What’s one song guaranteed to get you dancing?
“I love dancing to “Games That We Play” by Omar S featuring Diviniti.”
9. What’s the ideal environment for us to listen to All The Time in?
“I wish we could listen to it on a big system in a club but in the meantime, I think going for a walk with headphones or a drive in the car and listening to the record from start to finish is a nice way to hear All the Time.”
10. If All The Time came with a signature scent, what would it smell like?
“Eucalyptus with a hint of filtered coffee.”
Top image by Milos Jacimovic. ‘All The Time’ by Jessy Lanza is available on all major platforms now.
