Video Premiere: Rock & Roll Globe ‘Leave The Room’
“Leave The Room” marks the first single release from San Francisco synthpop duo Moxxy Jones’s debut LP, Unnoticed, to be released on October 21st, 2022.
We originally thought you had to be The Beatles or Pink Floyd to get your music mixed in Dolby Atmos, which is the expansion of existing Dolby surround sound systems to add height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects.
But right out the gate, the San Francisco duo has seen their entire debut LP Unnoticed bathed in this bleeding edge sonic technology, with “Leave The Room” serving as the first taste of the team of Frank and Milan’s kinetic blend of 70s prog-disco and 10’s vaporwave.
“I want someone listening to this song to immediately visualize a time where they were so into someone they didn’t need to go anywhere to be fully happy,” says Frank. “The genesis of this track started when I was listening to some guitar- and synth-driven pop/rock from the early 2000s (Justin Timberlake, Moby, Daft Punk). This got me inspired to take a basic song structure and add some jazz chords that seemed to provide the right amount of movement and tension into an otherwise straight-forward progression. I wrote that on a baby grand, and then presented it to Milan. We then built on this musical base and quickly started playing with different sounds and rhythms, added several hooks, and finally resolved the song into a chorus that is both familiar and entirely new.”
“With any song, artists say that you need to let it go where it wants to go,” adds Milan. “However, that’s only partially true. You really need to challenge a song on where it wants to go to make sure that it really wants to go there. Editing, trying new sounds, deconstructing are all parts of making sure its journey is the one it’s supposed to be on. For ‘Leave the Room,’ the biggest challenge was balancing creative sonics without losing the vibe the song had from the beginning,” adds Milan. “After taking several experimental detours, ‘Leave the Room’ ultimately found its way back home to something more stripped down and raw.”
The song’s secret weapon, however, is Los Angeles soul singer Trent Park, who instantly felt the connection to the rhythm Moxxy Jones had crafted for the tune.
“As I wrote the lyrics on this track, I envisioned letting the ears be the eyes of the song; shifting from seeing to feeling,” Park explains. “I wanted the lyrics to take the listener to a particular space and time. The message is very direct, playful, and spontaneous. It had to pair perfectly with the wide sonic soundscape and textures that Moxxy Jones laid forth as the musical base. To marry the sounds to the lyrics, I started with a broad narrative and then focused more narrowly. The process evolved quite organically as I freestyled through the vocal takes.”
“When Trent got his hands on it and wrote the vocals, we knew it was perfect,” adds Frank. “The most fun part of this writing process came after the vocals were layered on top, because we then could find new and interesting ways to further complement the vocal melody with additional melodic hooks, harmonies, and other flourishes.”
“Leave The Room,” along with the rest of the album, was recorded at 25th Street Recording, Oakland, CA, and Studio D, Sausalito, CA. Mastered by Joe LaPorta of Sterling Sound Studio. Creative direction by Tam Starita. Released by Starita Records, a division of Starita Music.
Moxxy Jones’ “Leave The Room’’ single is available across all digital service providers today, March 23rd, 2022.
VIDEO: Moxxy Jones “Leave The Room”