Lucas Penner boldly colours outside the lines of his sound (and his bruised ego) with his audaciously groovy new single Blue And Black — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist!
The latest single from the B.C. singer-songwriter — and a preview of his dynamic upcoming album All It Does Is Change — the cheeky and colourful Blue And Black fittingly represents a major sonic and stylistic change for Penner. Inspired by the artistry of Bob Fosse, the production style of Gorillaz, and the grooves and guitar solos of Muse — with a dash of Beck stirred in for shiggles — a greedy and confident new form emerges on the track, allowing Lucas to strut into a new artistic light.
“I wrote this in a unique way compared to everything else I’ve released,” he says. “This song was groove first, rather than lyrics or story first. I started with a bassline and a percussion groove that made me want to move. Then some sparse guitar for atmosphere. I was recording as I was writing, rather than going off with an acoustic guitar until I had melody and lyrics.
“Eventually a vocal line started to come to me and I improvised gibberish words over the budding melody. Afterwards, I sat down and tried to sound out the gibberish and experiment with vowel sounds until I could make out actual words. It was important that the words felt right to sing in the context of this song, not just that they looked right on the page. The vowels and consonants needed to line up with how the song felt. That was paramount.
“Blue and Black to me is about changing one’s self-perception,” he continues. “I’ve been a very earnest singer-songwriter for awhile now. I look young. I feel stuck in that place quite often — being the innocent boy next door. Blue And Black twists that around and puts me in the role of someone with options — someone who lets their ambition show and who has earned the bruises to make some calloused decisions. It’s me first. It’s not sad or longing. It’s moving, in the process of going forward, rather than reflecting or trying to process what has happened.”
Hailing from the mountains of B.C., Penner releasee his debut EP in 2012, followed by a sophomore EP in 2020 and various singles in 2022. His first full-length All It Does Is Change is scheduled for release in October, and will find Penner masterfully weaving a tapestry of jazz, folk, soft rock, post-punk, and more, showcasing his diverse musical arsenal. Whether you enjoy Elliot Smith, Frank Sinatra or Frank Zappa, Penner promises something for you to savour.
Watch the video for Blue And Black above, sample more music from Lucas Penner below, and dance over to his website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
