LUCI is an artist who ‘bleeds creativity’ (The Quietus), her multifarious and electric sound blends genres from hip hop and R&B to psych-punk, means she can’t be pigeonholed. Finding inspiration everywhere – from line, colour, and cinema, to her friends who took her to punk shows where she fell in love with the chaos of mosh pits – there is no linear approach to how or why she makes music. Growing with each release, she wants to shake up the algorithm and wash any preconceptions away, evolving in a new era and sound that is unmistakably LUCI but also one that cannot be stereotyped and put into a box, as she adds: “I want to go ahead and break down any imaginary walls that have been built and move freely in this world.”
Releasing her debut EP at the tail end of 2022 to critical acclaim – with support spanning The Quietus, Consequence, Clash, Flood, Line of Best Fit and more – LUCI readies her new music marking a sonic change of pace and emotion as she laments feeling in a place of contentedness. Showcasing some of her latest material to entranced crowds across her UK dates, the beauty of her artistry lies in the performance with her training in movement (from ballet to traditional African dance) leading to raw and often visceral experiences.
‘They Say They Love You’ was recorded in Ambridge, Pennsylvania as well as LA, and explores themes of love, loneliness, perseverance amid uncertainty, self-care, and coming of age. It includes production from William J Sullivan (Kid Cudi, Ye, 070shake, Paris Texas), Louallday (Doja Cat, Tylor, the Creator, Outkast, Khelani, Dckwrth), Elias Abid and Edmund Irwinsinger (Glass Animals), and others. She says she wants ‘They Say They Love You’, like all of her music, to “touch all the senses. My inspiration comes from the fact that great art exists in the world. And if I can touch people, move people, and it makes people want to do things for the better. I want to be the example of doing what you love, and being relentless about it.”
LUCI most recently performed at The Great Escape and is playing shows in the US.
Released: February 2024
Cat: DONTZZZ9LP
Label: Dont Sleep
