FLAMANGO BAY announce details of their debut EP The Fool, set to be released on 13th May via 0800-MOSHI-MOSHI.
To celebrate, they share new single "LA", which was written shortly before moving to the eponymous city.
"Because of life circumstances and the pandemic, we really romanticized moving to LA," say the band, who are originally from the Bay Area of San Francisco. "We put a lot of expectations on the city to fix our internal problems. However, when we actually moved there, we were still the same people with the same problems."
"Musically, the song is inspired by pop artists like Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and indie acts like Surf Curse, and probably anything off the Spotify Surf Rock Sunshine playlist."
Flamango Bay was formed in high school by Ikaika Gunderson, Dash Goss Post, and Georgia Manou, with their debut EP inspired by the fool card in tarot; five tracks loosely following an arc from being young, naive and optimistic before learning some harsh life lessons.
The band cite the likes of The Great Gatsby as an influence for its themes around the restrictive nature of blinkered hope, as well as Marvel’s Wandavision for its narrative arc that descends from a contented equilibrium to a fragmented and broken existence. Listeners will also note infectious hooks that lend more to the likes of Mitski and beabadoobee.
“In a more general way we saw our psyches and emotional state about the pandemic reflected in the EP,” says the band. “We graduated high school in the pandemic, started college in the pandemic, moved to LA in the pandemic. All these monumental life events that were supposed to be joyous and exciting were overshadowed by this really depressing world event.”
But beneath it all lies the Bay Area, taking pride of place in the group’s name and influencing everything they do, most clearly in epic closer "Fishing for the Sun" (released last year as a standalone single). Written by Gunderson amidst a gender identity crisis, it was the supportive environment cultivated by the prominent genderqueer and transgender element of the group’s local music scene that allowed them to explore feelings they suggest they may have pushed away for a long time otherwise.
out on March 22, 2024
via Moshi Moshi Records
out on February 14, 2024
via Moshi Moshi Records
out on January 09, 2024
via Moshi Moshi Records
out on March 23, 2022
via 0800-Moshi-Moshi
out on January 19, 2022
via 0800-Moshi-Moshi
out on December 06, 2021
via 0800-Moshi-Moshi