If you haven’t been spending all your time browsing the submissions for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest—or religiously following their Tumblr, where they publish one each day—then I don’t know what you’ve been doing with your life.
Atlas Lab is a new collaboration between Solei, (vocals, self-proclaimed “human synthesizer”), John Shakespeare, Samm Bahman (rhythm guitar and bass), and Alex Brander (drums). Solei and Alex met while street performing in Harvard Square. According to the the band, while Solei and John experimented with vocal loops on folk tunes, Alex and Samm had their own project with ambient and electronic music. The four joined forces to create the groovy, engrossing project they call Atlas Lab.
The colors in Atlas Lab’s video for “Castellana” match the mood of the music. It’s dreamy, ambient electronic music, mixed with enough funk to keep you on your toes. The band describes their music as “dynamic and visual” and a “colorful meeting of driving rhythm, melodic guitar, and live vocal looping.” Their other two musical creations include the more somber “Something Good,” as well as the funkier “Trust Fall.” Look out for a new EP coming out next month, and, if all goes as planned, an international tour and a waffle iron.