Murfreesboro’s LaFever, led by pop and R&B fixture Ivan LaFever and frequently found playing the local haunts, independently released their first EP, entitled Retro Future, this spring. Recorded and produced by the singer/songwriter and keyboardist, the six songs of Retro Future were completed with funds raised through a Kickstarter campaign.
The artist has played music for more than 15 years and was the first chair of the Tennessee All-State choir as a senior in high school. LaFever also won the Match Records Songwriting Competition hosted at Middle Tennessee State University with his first single, “Not Gonna Come Home.”
“Not Gonna Come Home” dropped April 8, prior to the Retro Future’s release, and is a depiction of betrayal and bitterness amid a flourish of keys, an infectious Wurlitzer electric piano and cooing vocal harmonies.
Retro Future opens with a warbling guitar being picked on “Assets,” on which LaFever sings:
Your head might be full
but there’s a lot to be known
and if you think you know it all
you better pack it up and take it home
Break it down and show me your assets
break it down and show me what you have to offer me
As the track unfolds, a horn section chimes in and guitarist Andy Most takes a solo. Beautiful husky vocals come in on “Grow” and “I’m Not Lonely” and “Stay Warm for Me” is a crooning, dark and comforting piano-driven lament.
Check out facebook.com/lafeverband for more information on LaFever.