First Play Live: Bonjay, Lush Life
Bonjay's new album Lush Life comes out this Friday, May 25. The new album is heavily influenced by the idea of how we live in cities, and the band put out a statement via Tumblr that is so beautiful, it's worth republishing:
Cities are humankind's greatest creation. Their only reason for existence is to bring us closer together. To create. To intersect. To love. Why else would we put up with the excess, the crowds, the trials and the tribulations? Because cities feed our need for human connection. Those who would never otherwise meet become inseparable. Cities are a dream world. Because in pursuit our dreams, the city emerges in our collective image.
A city's most profound power lies in its ability to make new ideas real. Cities hoover up ambition from all over. Yearning artists and scientists, immigrants and students, writers and entrepreneurs — impresarios of all motivations and hues. The details change but the stories remain forever the same: the struggle to convince others of a vision they can't yet see. The crushing failures on the path to success. Summoning the strength to persevere. Seeking someone to love, and finding someone who loves you. The fight to keep ambition from eating away at your passion.
There's a lot that happens on the way to making new things. These are the stories Lush Life tells.
— Bonjay
Several years have passed since Ian Swain and Alanna Stuart released their EP Broughtupsy, but the time has obviously been well spent by these inspired artists. Check out the dancehall-inspired soul of Bonjay below.