Oaklands Naked Roommate have been slinking aroundtheBay Area lighting up stages, shaking asses & confounding listeners since 2018, whenthegroup – originally justtheduo of real-life partners Andy Jordan & Amber Sermeno (both formerly ofTheWorld) – self-released a cassette of demos (2018s Naked Roommate). Members Michael Mig Zamora & Alejandra Alcala (Blues Lawyer) joined soon after to augmentthesound & live band withtheir proper full-length album DoTheDuvet, co-released in September of 2020 via UK label Upset!TheRhythm & Trouble In Mind. 2024 findsthelineup expanded even further to incorporatethehorn section of Geoff Saba & Jeanne Oss on tenor & alto saxophones as well as percussion & marimba astheband readiestheir sophomore effort,thedizzyingly ecstatic PassTheLoofah.

Recorded by members Andy Jordan & Mig Zamora from 2021-2023 as time & restrictions allowed, PassTheLoofah retainsthewild energy oftheir debut, but leans intotherhythmic throbs perpetuated by forbears like Kid Creole &TheCoconuts, Lizzy Mercier Descloux & ESG;thesignature sound of UKs On-U Sound & NYCs 99 Records, but with a decidedly West Coast irreverence & a knack for absurdist exposition. Make no mistake, this is music designed to make your body MOVE & Naked Roommate wont stop untilthey ve made sure every ass is shook.Theband freely incorporates elements ofthedancier side of post-punk (think A Certain Ratio or Liquid Liquid) as well as disco, funk, & house music. However,thegroups uplifting melodicism belies a deeper subtext, understandingtheimportance ofthesense of community of dance music &theculture surrounding it and leaning into a Neo-socialist lyrical context. Shit is fucked, & we get thru it by helping one another & acknowledging & addressingthefailures of disaster Capitalism & tech-bro hegemony (a statetheband is all-too familiar with, living inTheBay Area) Takethefirst single Bus; a four-on-the-floor banger & salutary paeon totheups & downs ofthepeoples transport that throbs & pulses with a late-night sashay (and a bridge that launchesthetune intothestratosphere).

Elsewhere, Fight Flight s funky horn stabs and Sermenos slinky vocals swoon over Numan-esque synth squiggles that are fortified & funkified towardthedance floor. Broken Whisper edges into new territor y forthegroup, adding a Caribbean flavor ala Kid Creole orTheSpecials that punctuatesthepersistent & synthetic beats underneath. Meanwhile instrumental interludes like Ducky & Viv, G-Y pt. 1 & G-Y pt. 2 oscillate into zones of sci-fi meets soap opera soundtracks, sounding not unliketheelectronic experiments of UK industrial pioneers Chris & Cosey. Album closer I Cant Be Found might bethealbums secret weapon; It s swooning synth melody & processed vocals recall early Daft Punk or MGMT by way of Derrick Carter &TheAu Pairs. It s a beautiful song; perfect forthelate night (or early morning) car ride home fromthe club.

Tracklist:

1. No Kicker
2. Fight Flight
3. Successful Friend
4. Ducky & Viv
5. Bus
6. Broken Whisper
7. G-Y pt. 1
8. Sunblot
9. Reasons Why
10. Yob
11. G-Y pt. 2
12. I Cant Be Found