LOLAWOLF: My New Obsession

June 4, 2014

Photo Courtesy of Greenroom Magazine

I've waxed on to just about everybody about how much I love their first single "Jimmy Franco", my new obsession which I will probably wear out soon. However the rest of their ep--which came out earlier this year--is just as amazing as their first single. Zoe Kravitz, Jimmy Giannopoulos and James Levy make up LOLAWOLF with Zoe as the lead singer. The title stems from Zoe's two younger siblings, Lolani and Nakoa-Wolf Momoa.

 When I first came in contact with the group I will admit I was a bit skeptical about the quality of music Zoe and her band mates would produce. Her time with her first band "Elevator Fight wasn't very long; they produced good alternative music but still appeared to be in their "garage band" stage. However, LOLAWOLF is progressing in an entirely different direction, this is her first EP I believe and it doesn't hurt playing with two seasoned musicians with plenty of industry experience. I was pleasantly surprised after I saw the "Jimmy Franco" video and even more surprised at how much I enjoyed the rest of the album. It is apparent Zoe has matured as a musician and singer in both technique and talent.

According to Greenroom Magazine the project started out as a type of musical therapy. Zoe was battling past demons of eating disorders playing an Anorexic character in a film and decided to table the darkness by writing a song a day with her close friends. These nightly jam sessions became LOLAWOLF and the accidental new project took off from there. Jimmy and James produced the songs on mutual friend Raviv Ullman's independent label, Innit Recordings.You can tell the music is coming from a place of love and comradery that's void of a bottom line or label pressures. The overall tone of the album is reflective of the group's singular focus being just the music.

Courtesy of Zoe Kravitz Network

The EP has a distinct sound that is very different from Elevator Fight and far from anything I ever expected to hear from her. However I find the melodies and production with the various tonalities of her voice are the perfect pairing. In terms of the approach towards the alternative, electro/pop genre I would normally accuse Zoe of falling into the synth-y, one repetitive drum machine against an echoing faux bird crow, Super Mario Cart jingle over three ambigous lines of lyrics style that was once very original but now rapidly trendy. YET I will not because they do it so well! There is an element of the familiar with the type of genre they are producing in but it is all very unique. That is not to say that there aren't obvious influences throughout the entire album. There is an overall 80s alternative vibe as well as an experimentally intellectual 90s tone as well. You can clearly hear those influences most in the songs "Drive", "Wanna Have Fun", "Too Lovely" and "What Love Is."

"Drive" and "Wanna Have Fun" are so 80s its ridiculous--ridiculously good! The reverberating drum beat that kicks in at the chorus is quite reminiscent of the decade and "Drive" in it's entirety could have been on an old Jesus and Mary Chain album. The track "What Love Is" displays a strong 80's influence going all the way back to Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is." The chorus is synonymous with the old song but instead of "I want you to show me" Zoe follows it up with the blunt "I really hope that it's not you." I love their songs like "What Love Is" because the deceptively up tempo melody and romantically themed title aren't the focal point and contrast with the stark lyrics. The sentiment of the song is honest and representative of the reality of romantic relationships.

Singer songwriter Cree Summer happens to be Zoe's godmother and her first album "Street Faerie" is an influence that can be heard on the EP as well. Whether the influence was intentional or not it's definitely there. The 80s tone continues in "Too Lovely" but there is a distinctly 90's alternative tone as well; the construction and style seem to draw upon Cree's "Still Heart' and "Miss Moon." In fact the entire song seems to be a slowed down culmination of all of the elements that make up "Street Faerie" over a series of analog beats and keys.

Courtesy of The Minimal Beat

I highly recommend this band to anyone who loves music and is open minded. It is not a band to promote Zoe Kravitz as an actress or musician. It's not a vanity act or the typical trio of two guys and a wispy girl attempting to string a line of lyrics over sparse music. If you're like me and love a good soundtrack to sit and look out your window methodically this is the band for you! If you also love a good soundtrack to drive home too or even play in the background when hanging with friends this is the band for you as well!
The closest musical comparison I personally would make is Club 8; in terms of the contrasts between tempo and lyrical composition the two groups both employ.







Check out an in depth interview with Greenroom Magazine and LOLAWOLF below:
http://greenroommagazine.com/music/zoe-kravitz-interview/