Oh man. Do you know what day it is today? It’s officially one month until Coachella 2015 kicks off. I’ve been trying to preview one band per week that’s playing this year and that I listen to/am interested in seeing at the festival. So with four weeks remaining, time is short. This week I’ll be writing about a band playing Coachella for the second consecutive year, which is a rarity for many artists.
Jean-Philip Grobler, known to the music world as St. Lucia is relatively new to the indie music scene. He released his debut album When The Night, which was years in the making, in September 2013. Grobler, born in South Africa, started out involved in music from a young age as part of a world touring boys’ choir. He began making his own music during his preteen years. After studying music in Liverpool for three years, he moved to Brooklyn and worked for a company as a jingle writer prior to being signed by Neon Gold Records. The record company re-released his independently released self-titled mini-album in March 2012.
St. Lucia’s music uses both electronic and non-electronic instruments to create almost an experimental pop type sound. It has also been described as 80’s synth-pop. I first heard of this electro-pop artist about a year ago after I purchased tickets to attend the Sweetlife Festival in Columbia, Maryland. They were on the short list of artists to play the one day event in early May so I checked them out while I was prepping for that. I liked what I heard but wasn’t extremely stoked on St. Lucia initially. After I downloaded three songs, it took listening to my Sweetlife playlist (of songs by bands performing at the festival) on repeat to discover that I really did dig the few St. Lucia songs I had. Unfortunately due to my desire to maintain my spot for Lana Del Rey at the main stage, I wasn’t able to see St. Lucia who played on the other stage. I’m also pretty sure the set time overlapped another band I wanted to see.
Within the last year I decided to purchase When The Night on vinyl, which ended up being another Christmas gift record (along with the latest Alt-J album if you’ve been following my blog). Then when the Coachella lineup was released in early January and I saw St. Lucia was part of it, I knew I had a second chance to see this artist. To be honest, I ended up being pretty bummed after Sweetlife that I didn’t see him.
This year St. Lucia plays Sunday’s date at Coachella. Both this year and last year, Grobler’s act isn’t/wasn’t listed as a minor headliner like some of the bands I already previewed, but who knows how long that will last. Maybe the next time St. Lucia plays Coachella that will change. It’s best to check them out now when you have the chance though because I doubt he’ll play for a third consecutive time next year. I know I’m going to. I’m sure with the upbeat synth-pop tracks it’ll definitely be a fun set.
Song recommendations:
1. Closer Than This
2. All Eyes On You
3. Elevate
4. Before The Dive
5. Wait for Love
6. The Way You Remember Me
The Spentertainic Source 