Luke MacRoberts has long been an artist of contrasts, fiercely experimental, steeped in jazz academically and the chaotic energy of punk and post-hardcore bands by experience. With his new single, "The Lost Boys," MacRoberts once again demonstrates that being a genre conundrum is no accident. Part of his sophomore album "Escapism," the track sees him revisiting those wild formative days of youth through a prism of reflective hindsight. "The Lost Boys" immediately hooks you with a dark, synth-heavy soundscape that feels as vast as it does close and intimate.
There's a palpable electro-pop sheen to all of this, one that recalls the brooding menace of Depeche Mode and the flirty psych-electronic effusiveness of MGMT. MacRoberts' production manages rippling, euphoric beats and subtly potent textures with aplomb, but he also knows how to construct songs that break down into heaps only to rise again in unanticipated ways. The song conjures "bad boy memories," as colorfully lurid snapshots of youthful abandon are unveiled, drinking forty-ounce beers, early-band bravado, graffiti scrawled near railroad tracks. But lurking below the revolutionary exterior is contemplative accounting, a reflective musing on identity, impermanence, and the quest for home in a world that can feel fleeting.
"The Lost Boys" is a cinematic expedition through one's memory and psyche. Luke MacRoberts' knotty fusion of indie rock roughness and synthpop polish renders this song simultaneously timeless and deeply personal. Summoning as much chaos as beauty when he transports the past, MacRoberts gives listeners space to dance, reflect, or lose themselves a little in the memories' glow. "The Lost Boys" is an electrifying journey that demonstrates how Luke MacRoberts maintains his own lane in today's indie musical terrain, raw, fearless, and simply undeniable.
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