Lionel Boy

Consider the power of the vibe. After all, the power of positive vibes transcends simple categorization or a Sopranos meme. A good vibe is a cool breeze and ice cream on a sweltering afternoon. It is the athlete whose sixth sense and unselfishness makes everyone on the court play better. It is those Bob Ross videos where with a gentle voice and a few quick brush strokes, the painter conjures arcadian beauty. Good vibes are something that the modern world desperately needs. Graciously, such benevolent energy can be found on “Lionel Boy”, the Innovative Leisure debut LP from Lionel Boy, the Oahu-bred singer-songwriter. Despite being recorded during the pandemic, Lionel and Bell somehow managed to create an antidote for the anxiety. They’d visit each other several times a week, slowly fleshing out the demos that Lionel recorded at home, aided by a squadron of highly gifted virtuosos (Fred Garbutt, synthesizers; Bell, Nic Gonzales, Andrew Pham and Sam Wilkes, bass; Brett Kramer, drums; Sarah Hinesly, keys, and Andres Renteria on percussion). "Lionel Boy" is soulful and easy-going, both introspective and laissez faire. Extremely mellow but never soft-headed. Or as Buzz Bands described the music of Lionel Boy: “he specializes in nostalgic chillwave that recalls first crushes and heartbreak while confronting existential questions of happiness.” - Jeff Weiss