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Groove Chronicles: Unveiling 79.5’s Self-Titled Album Track by Track

Kono Vidovic May 11, 2023 354 4 5


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79.5 are a Brooklyn based live band that started up in 2012.This month they release their second full length album on Razor-N-Tape. Named after an imaginary radio station, their sound is a blend of 70s inspired disco, pop, and soft sexy house. With Kate Mattison and Lola Adanna on vocals, Izaak Mills on Sax and flute, Midnight Magics Andrew Raposo on Bass, and Caito Sanchez on the Drums. Here 79.5 give us a detailed insight into ideas, meanings and heartfelt lyrics of the self-titled album tracks.

Club Level: Calling out the patriarchy in the lyrics, “Say You Wanna Play” “Rich Man’s Toy”, it’s an ode to the disco greats in a hazy disco banger described as “Channelling the cry and passion of Grace Jones, with the tenderness of Donna Summer.” Dance Floor ready. 

BDFQ (Bitch, Don’t Fuckin’ Quit): An anthem for years to come, this is our anti-bullying, pro feminist track! Between Kate’s funky cool piano grooves and Lola Adanna’s BK style rap it’s a puzzle that can’t be solved. Chorus ringing with OOO’s give a slight nod to 90’s Lauren Hill, sparkling with a style that can only be 79.5. Crunky bass and guitar, heavy drums, dark chords and hardened women. 

Feel Like Dancin’: A mystical and trance-like track, Alice Coltrane piano licks, penny flute, lush feminine harmonies, and the whistle all make this track one of our funkiest, most liquid songs. The lyrics are tongue in cheek, calling out a perceived competitive force “Why did you think, you can’t be beat? My step? Always land on ya feet. I feel like dancin’ now.” – An unbothered account letting it all go on the dance floor. 

79.5

As I Wait 4 Your Love:  Sexy, spacey, and cool, this ballad showcases the emotional vibration of waiting and waiting for a love to come around. Reminiscent of 90’s R&B bedroom track, a little TLC, a little SWV, a lot 79.5. Minimal, yet reverberating percussion- this is a band favorite and portrays that longing romance that 79.5 has shown in past recordings. 

Stereo In The Window:  Gritty, raw and a real NYC track. Images of wet city streets, a wailing sax as the chorus, the lyrics, “Staring at the stereo in the window, memories of a storm on both sides, pick a side, lose a place in love’s eye” is the moment caught catching a glimpse of yourself (past or future) in the window while walking down a Brooklyn street. 

79.5 (Feat LaDawn Black): An instrumental track written primarily by Izaak Mills, 79.5’s long-time Saxophonist and Flautist, this light and breezy flute track is playfully narrated by LaDawn Black, former DJ for New York’s R&B Station WBLS and long-time Baltimore DJ. LaDawn plays the DJ on the imaginary radio station 79.5, and reads a love dedication, and playful in only the way that can be done by the band, 79.5. 

Our Hearts Didn’t Go That Way (Feat. Durand Jones): This is two minutes of pure hot neon sugar. A pop duet for the ages. This Mattison-penned track was written in 2016 after a devastating breakup, resulting in a banger of a rock song. The lyrics begin with Kate singing, “Comes a time in our lives, when undercovers our bodies felt the same beat,” when Durand Jones’ inimitable voice rings in with “I heard a rumor, it took a rumor, changed my mind, made me go insane..” the song, although heart-breaking in nature, evokes a feeling that true love can never be broken. 80’s sax shimmers throughout Durand and Kate’s chorus of “Whoa Whoa Whoa!,” and is reminiscent of past collaborations like Michael McDonald and Patti Labelle, or the late greats Ronnie Spector and Eddie Money. 

Long Term Parking: A synth and saxophone heavy ballad, Long Term Parking is named after a poignant episode of The Sopranos. The lyrics are telling of a relationship gone devastatingly wrong, but longing for and imagining a way that it could’ve worked out. “We should’ve tried to get away, I would’ve loved to get away,” they are a love gone so wrong, yet never felt so good. The outro is like a synth ballet that continues to ring long after the song finishes. 

So Real: “What if I’m made up of love?” “What if blue was green?” These lyrics, showing Mattison and Adanna’s beautiful harmonies as they swirl around these questions of love, hopefulness, purity and cheer. An upbeat and earnest song, with floating Brazilian rhythms, and a cacophony of Izaak Mill’s flute unmistakeable lines. 

Magazine: A story in a song, a look into depression, near suicide and the mind’s process when we can’t grapple with what perhaps we thought would happen in our lives. Mattison wrote the song’s lyrics, and starts out with “Put your panties on the shelf, hide away your dreams of living in a magazine..” later ringing in with Adanna singing, “No Hollywood, no mirror ball, no magazine, no food, no pictures hanging on the wall..” shows the pure vulnerability of the heart and mind. With nods to The Beach Boys, The Association, and 60’s pop, Mattison and Lola Adanna trade off lead, with devastating lyrics hinting at what it’s like to “float all the way.” 

Fight or Fall: A Thin Lizzy cover in only the way 79.5 could do, heavy on the organ with no guitar. A drum heavy, grunge take on the lesser-known Jailbreak cut, Mattison and Adanna flip the pronouns from Brother to Sister, and is right in line with the ongoing struggle for women’s rights, no doubt feeling the anthemic lyrics, “There is more to fear, if we wait another year.” 

Conclusion.

In their self-titled album, 79.5 takes us on a journey through disco-infused melodies, empowering lyrics, and heartfelt ballads. Each track unveils a unique facet of their musical prowess and showcases their ability to blend genres seamlessly. From the dance floor anthems like “Club Level” and “BDFQ (Bitch, Don’t Fuckin’ Quit)” to the soul-stirring ballads like “As I Wait 4 Your Love” and “Long Term Parking,” 79.5 captivates listeners with their infectious energy and timeless sound.

We extend our gratitude to the talented artists of 79.5: Kate Mattison, Lola Adanna, Izaak Mills, Andrew Raposo, and Caito Sanchez for sharing their insights and creative process. Their passion for music shines through each track, leaving a lasting impression on our hearts.

Experience the captivating melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and groovy beats of 79.5’s self-titled album. Join them on this musical journey that transcends boundaries and resonates with the core of human emotions.

Thank you for joining us in this exploration of 79.5’s album. Get ready to immerse yourself in their enchanting world of sound, empowerment, and disco-infused rhythms. Support the artists by streaming their album, and let the groove take you to new heights.

Stream 79.5’s self-titled album now and let the disco magic ignite your soul. Dance, sing, and embrace the transformative power of music.

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Kono Vidovic at Dirty Disco
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Kono Vidovic

DJ | MUSIC CURATOR & SELECTOR | PODCAST MAKER | BLOGGER Professional online interpreneur. Coffee practitioner. Electronic music culture maven. Total music guru. Infuriatingly humble problem solver. Food & sports fanatic.

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