LA’s power duo Smoke Season have been cultivating the finest slices of indie-electronica and continue to explore their sound which each new release. On their newest single, “Up On Me” the duo take a rocksteady approach to their already colorful palette, and deliver their love letter to Los Angeles. Pairing the track with a matching visual that depicts the crevices of the streets they call home, “Up On Me” is a clear product of love and influences that have nurtured their creativity.
"We've lived in Silverlake / Echo Park for the last decade," they share. "It's become the inspiration and backdrop to almost all of our music. We felt like it was time to pay homage to our turf and our community." Built from a chilled tempo, the track’s melody marries a rocksteady time signature, which fits frontwoman Gabby Bianco’s vocals exquisitely. Jason Rosen’s muted picking style and gracious tropical rhythms pull from the reggae realm and nourish the track’s electronic elements. Completing the restitution of bliss, Bianco and Rosen meld vocals for pristine harmonizing and add their contemporary touches on the revived sound.
A slice of new-wave revival that has been amped in the '90s is clearly represented and traced over through Natalie Neal’s direction. The video’s nature is whimsical and carefree while bursting with an assortment of colors. Baked in the perception of the city, the video expands beyond what Los Angeles is perceived to hold. Immersing into a gender fluid visual, the relentless notion of staying true to one’s identity becomes apparent through each scene.
Boasting a bountiful selection of looks such as the mod traces of ska, to the slacker rock of the '90s, the video continues to break gender barriers by featuring LA-based women skaters, Lydia Mae Martinez, Marissa Martinez, Felicia The Sk8r, Kelly Bentovoja, Christopher Vick, as well as LA-based artist, tattooist and model Bobby Coyote, and drag performance artist, Trash Queen.
The melting pot of creatives in Echo Park and throughout the city are held dearly by Smoke Season as they gift the conviction of not giving up, which is weaved between verses. Despite the electronica aesthetics that have become the duo’s primary sound, the rocksteady flavor that naturally encompasses love becomes a refreshing soundscape of admiration by the duo.
