Jean-Philip Grobler’s band takes 80s music to the next level
The first time I heard a St. Lucia song, I wished the band was named after me. Unfortunately I’m not that interesting, but these guys are so I think it’s time to talk about them.
St. Lucia is musical project created by Jean-Philip Grobler, a musician from Johannesburg who moved to the U.S. in his 20s. The band was born in 2012, in Brooklyn, and it consists in Grobler (voice and guitar), Ross Clark (bass guitar), Nick Paul (keyboards and synthesizers), Patti Beranek (keyboards, percussion and backing vocals) and Dustin Kaufman (drums).
The south african artist is an 80s music revivalist: he grew up listening to Sting, Michael Jackson and Phil Collins, but St.Lucia influences also include Fleetwood Mac, Mew and Radiohead (I hear also some New Order vibes).
These guys toured with stars like Two Door Cinema Club and Ellie Goulding and they already performed at major festivals in the U.S.A. like Lollapalooza and Coachella.
What do I like about St. Lucia? Everything. 80s inspired music has become a trend, but it takes talent to take it “to the next level”: these guys put together high energy brillant pop, featuring artful lyrics and melodies that bring instant happiness to your heart.
St. Lucia’s latest album is called Matter and, even if it’s almost impossible to choose the best track, I’ll try to pick some gems for you: Rescue Me it’s a high impact electro hit, Help Me Run Away (co-written with fun.’s “golden boy” Jack Antonoff) is Grobler’s irresistible pop ode to his adopted homeland of America, Dancing On Glass is the fresh, catchy outcome of a West Coast writing trip with Tim Pagnotta from Walk The Moon.
If you live in the U.S. you won’t miss St. Lucia summer tour: for more details about dates and venues, visit their official website.
