Easy Love is the moniker for the SoCal DIY artist Justine Brown. Justine, befitting her artist name, channels the breezy indie aesthetic made popular in the early aughts. Her self-titled debut arrived via Burger Records in 2017, and July 10 marks the arrival of her sophomore effort, Wander Feeler.
Shortly after her debut — on which she played every recorded instrument — Justine joined her friend’s band, Winter, and toured up and down the west coast, pairing melodies with the landscape’s bounty of forests and streams to form the shells of songs that would eventually become Wander Feeler.
Winter toured as far away as Brazil. For her Algorhythm, Justine recalls the Brazilian music she encountered during her travels, starting with the incomparable tropicália/MPB band, Novos Baianos:
A few years ago I got into ‘60s and ‘70s Brazilian music. It quickly became my favorite genre and my go-to choice for when I wanted a mood uplifter.
It started a few years ago when I joined a band called Winter, who’s lead singer is from Curitiba. I had the pleasure of touring many different countries with Winter including southern Brazil. The album that I was introduced to while in Brazil and that started my attraction to this genre was Acabou Chorare by Novos Baianos. Almost everyone I came into contact with knew about that album. It seemed to be a classic. Meeting musicians from Brazil was such a gift because you can really see the enthusiasm and the magic that they have soaked in from their musical histories. The album starts by luring you in with a nylon string guitar and vocal duets, slowly building into a celebration. I was in love at first listen. The production makes you feel as if you were there, in the sun, percussion players playing happily and smiling right at you, celebrating life, and cheering the world on.
Listening to this album while traveling around a tropical paradise was an unforgettable experience. I saw street musicians in Sao Paulo who invited us to join in on their jam session as if we were old friends.
Once I was opened up to this pot of musical gold, nothing else could give me as much satisfaction. The albums that followed, that I continue to be fascinated with are: Gal Costa’s self titled, Jorge Ben Jor’s Forca Bruta, Caetano Veloso’s self titled, and Chico Buarque’s De Hollanda Vol. 3.
Wander Feeler is out July 10 via Loantaka Records. Give Justine’s music a spin — and listen to our full Algorhythms playlist here.
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