EP Review: Bodega

Lando last released an EP in 2022, Lost At Sea, and began work on material for a full-length album. Unfortunately, the Auckland floods of 2023 found their way into the home studio of Orlando Cooper (guitar, songwriter, producer) and halted work on the album, which ultimately resulted in the band splitting up. Luckily, a lot of preliminary tracks remained on Cooper’s hard drive. Together with vocalist Lucas Davidson, they’ve spent the last year putting together this new EP, Bodega.

The first track, and also first single, is Deprivation. It’s beautiful. Luxurious waves of sound lull the senses, whilst Davidson’s potent vocals soar overhead. If Pink Floyd isn’t a massive influence on what I’m hearing here, I’ll eat my hat (not my favourite Willmott-Dalton Design hat, good Heavens no, most likely that promotional bucket hat that doesn’t really fit properly). Belying their youthful looks, there’s a surprising depth of maturity here, in both composition and performance. In particular, I’m becoming a fan of this bass player, an artful grasp of the role of their instrument. It sure helps to be surrounded by players of the same calibre. All credit too, for the superb production.

Next up is Lover Lover. Love songs have been around about as long as humans have, the theme has been explored for millennia. Writing a new one that can avoid sounding trite can be tricky waters to navigate, but Lando clearly have strong and steady hands on the wheel. This is a gorgeous song, and it often takes you places that you weren’t expecting. There are moments of tension and of high emotion, just like with any romance, but they resolve sublimely. An uncommon love song, which says what it sets out to say, absolutely exquisitely.

Such Is Life took me by surprise, in that it was so unexpectedly short. A lovely little guitar line underpins the slightly mournful but beautifully delivered vocals, and just when you’re getting completely lost in the song’s innate charm, it ends at 1’18”. It could perhaps be suggested that it was “over before it began” as the saying goes, yet I quite like the way that its length challenged my expectations. It is, indeed, perfect the way it is.

Final track Tongue is another supremely and deliciously languid track, its floaty washiness caressing the ears in the most soothing of ways. The vocals have a more “crooner” type vibe going on, your Harry Connick Jr sort of thing. A melancholy number, with a dark beauty.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here for Lando. Let’s hope that Bodega is only the beginning of what’s in store.