- Cafe Lanai is a new project from Michael Brock and Forever, two Vancouver singers and producers who were inspired to collaborate during a trip to Hawaii. Thematically, their schtick might be a little heavy-handed—they're named after an island and their debut EP is called Paradise, after all—but their soft and sensual beats have more universal charm. Produced with help from Patrick Holland (AKA Project Pablo), Paradise has a smoky soul and distinctly laid-back pulse.
Brock and Forever are primarily vocalists, but Paradise gives their instrumentation equal footing. For opener "Lanai," the two are a near-spectral presence, floating over a dead-simple rhythm built with one gleaming chord and some tinkling ivories. Its glazed-over repetition locks the EP into a hypnotized, half-lidded state. The rest of Paradise explores that zone—including the breathy whispers of "Girl Music" and the boisterous, '80s-styled pop of "So."
Quiet as they are, Brock and Forever remain engaging and capable singers, with verses that tend to pivot on earworming hooks. "Le Stud"—edited down from a jam between Holland and the duo—is a premier example. The singers trade lines over a sparse but bouncy disco rhythm, but always come back to one in particular: "I don't know what to say / I just know what to do." It's a seductive little lyric, and they give it a classy swing that brings to mind INXS.
The EP wraps up with the almost-ambient "Sky Boyy," which trades a funky bounce for formless floating. Here, Brock and Forever let their voices waft along with the music, singing wordlessly as the song fades out. Rather than kitschy and tropical, they sound otherworldly, and it's in those final moments that the potential of Cafe Lanai fully comes to life. It may have started in Hawaii, but the group occupies a place all their own.
Tracklist01. Lanai
02. Le Stud
03. Girl Music
04. So
05. Skyboyy