Listen up! No, seriously are you listening? LETRAINIUMP. Remember that? That guy we’ve been shouting out perpetually for like 8 years or something? Yeah, that guy.

He’s having a pretty big week right now. He just played JazzFest in New Orleans on the heels of the release of his second record (that feels so good to type – there was a time I wondered if he’d ever release more than one single!).

His second album In Real Time finds the artist owning his sound. LeTrainiump is not just a name anymore. It’s a sound. My favorite way to describe LeTrainiump is a fusion of Michael Jackson and The 1975, but In Real Time finds the artist broadening his horizons in ways that really aren’t terribly far out of left field. “Too Late” and “The End” are the most notable examples of his artistic evolution, the former taking on an almost pop punk flair and the latter getting as raw as we’ve ever heard from him. At one point “The End” pulls back and all you hear is a metronome. This could be symbolic of vulnerability; we are hearing an effect that’s typically for the artist’s ears only to keep time. It can also mean the passage of time, and the sadness associated therein. It’s a little jarring to hear such a happy artist be sad, I won’t lie to you.

There’s the trademark LeTrainiump “flourish” that shows up in just about every track. There’s a sparkling effect that shows up in both keys and in the guitars. Its nearly impossible to un-hear once you notice it. But the most obvious example is synth motif that shows up in “Falling Again,” that has an almost cascading effect. The song has actually been out for a hot second; I’ve been married a year and a few months (yay us!) and I have a distinct memory of listening to “Falling Again” while driving away from our AirBnB in Saint Augustine, FL. “Release” is an anthemic track showcasing this feature, but in guitar form, while seemingly also being a cousin of “So Alive,” possibly LeTrainiump’s best known track. The intro to “Release” is very 80s; I almost wonder if “Eye of the Tiger” is going to start playing instead.

At Coachella recently, Charli XCX flashed a bunch of names on the jumbotron signaling the end of “BRAT SUMMER” and effectively replacing BRAT with artists with new releases this year. Artists in this position need to shout out the indies more. I’d say its about to be a LeTrainiump Summer. Let’s make it so!

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