Lo Village - Yellow Brick Road (2023) Hi-Res

If you didn’t know Lo Village go way back (siblings (Ama and Kane, and childhood friend Charles), you’d sense it from the way the three vocalists merge on every track of this impressive debut album. This long term understanding comes across not just sonically but emotionally.

Around the time of lauded 2021 EP Lost In America, Ama was diagnosed with MS, and the physical and mental toil made her unsure if music remained a viable option. While it’s not addressed directly, it is heartening to hear the group hold each other up across Yellow Brick Road’s show of togetherness: opener “On My Way” begins with Ama alone, at her most vulnerable, unable to trust. By the time the track swells and the beat kicks in, she’s joined by her bandmates, asserting that she’s “ready to go.”

Lo Village trade verses on occasion but are more interested in underscoring what the others are doing than competing for the spotlight. It’s all in service to the song, though a little more individual personality would be welcome at times (Kane describes his partnership with Charles as “like Ghostface Killah, Raekwon” on “Left”, but distinct identities don’t really come across).

There’s nothing saccharine about Yellow Brick Road, though, and the record is at its most effective on its harder tracks. “Dirty Mac”’s hypnotic synth and snaky bass contrasts the glamour of a touring band with “suburb life / my family’s still ghetto”. The title track boasts the album’s best beat, built around a chilly piano and what sounds like a misfiring lighter in the percussion. It’s awash with creeping paranoia, not least the fear of disappointing family – “my granny still prays / she don’t know I keep a pistol.”

The darker cuts make the more celebratory moments all the sweeter. Lead single “My Bag” is three and a half minutes of unalloyed triumph for Lo Village. A maximalist track combining sweeping 70s soul with a tricky drum programming, it’s the best example of all three voices working as one. Ama, Charles, and Kane roll in and out of verses and hooks as they please, everyone wanting a piece of the good time.

Lo Village move as a unit, and the result is a dense, detailed debut. If each member doesn’t give too much of themselves away, the richly textured and varied tracks invite close investigation.