We are shaped by our surroundings, whether in our habits, our views, or in the case of Lutalo, our artistry. The Minnesota-raised, Vermont-based producer and songwriter has just unveiled their new EP, “AGAIN”, via Winspear Records. The body of work showcases the diversity of the emerging artist’s sound, flicking through indie, folk, jazz, hip hop and more to devise a sound that is intimate and individualistic.

To celebrate the release of the body of work, Lutalo has constructed a list of songs that represent the places and memories that influence them and that have inspired the new EP. From King Krule to Bob Dylan, Thundercat to Yves Tumor, there are some absolute gems on the list!

Listen to “AGAIN” here and read Lutalo’s playlist picks below…

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Ffunny Ffrends”

I’ll start this list off with one of the most formative tracks for me. I remember I was in high school in Minneapolis with one of my close friends Cho. We had set up a surround sound speaker system my Dad had in a back corner of our basement. She was showing me all the music that would inevitably set me on the path to create what I create now. And she’s always flipping through songs 30 seconds into the tracks, but then this track pops on and I make sure she doesn’t skip it. She begins bouncing and dancing to the beat, and from then on I was set on what feeling I wanted to evoke in my music. Whimsical fun.

Beach House – “PPP”

This was another track Cho showed me that same night in Minneapolis that I dove into. The ending vamp just hooked me into a trance and took me into another dimension. Still does it for me.

Thundercat – “Them Changes”

Another vivid Minneapolis memory in high school. I was with my friends driving on the highway at night. We were on our way to check out a local punk show in the suburbs. I was laying in the backseat with my friend looking up at the orange street lamps whipping by. Over the speakers my friend Mike Kota blasts the track. The drums began and punched right through me. Then the liquid bass line took me I remember instantly knowing I didn’t want to over listen to this track so as to not ruin it.

Mount Kimbie & King Krule – “Blue Train Lines”

I was in Chicago at the time. Out with some friends going to the Takashi Murakami exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago. The line was like two hours long, so we spent the time waiting, sharing different songs we were listening to at the time. We were on the steps of the museum and I remember one of them played this one through his phone speakers as it had just come out. I remember not really getting it at first. The anticipation for the drums to fully come in irritated me at first. But not long after a few more listens it became one of my favorite Mount Kimbie tracks.

Nigel Godrich – “Hillcrest Park”

Scott Pilgrim vs The World honestly was the film that really put me on to indie music. I think I was about 10 when I first watched it with the other kids on my block in South Minneapolis where I primarily grew up. We huddled up in their bedroom on a summer night sleepover watching it. The whole soundtrack was just brilliant to me, but this one specifically stood out. It paints the best colors in my mind. It was this track that put me onto Nigel Godrich funny enough. It wasn’t till way later in life that I found out he was responsible for many of the Radiohead and Beck works I’d come to enjoy and I fell in love with his sense of tone and production style. Just great instrumentation placement and driven by emotion.

Broken Social Scene – “Guilty Cubicles”

I found this track when I was reconnecting with “Hillcrest Park”. It was in the Youtube comments as a track that carried a similar vibe. I shared it with my partner in our first year of dating, it quickly became the song of our first Fall / Autumn together. We’d drive around St. Paul Minnesota listening to it as the leaves piled up.

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – “nail i couldn’t bite”

I remember I was at a pizza place in Brooklyn with my partner Kenna and my friend Leah. We ordered our pizza and as we were waiting this track was playing over the speaker. I remember it was only seconds before I got up and went to the counter to ask what they were listening to. The girl at the register flipped the iPad around and showed me and I quickly took a photo. Been a fan since. Listening to SOTBH really inspired me during that time, production and writing wise, they are just brilliant.

Alex G – “Gretel”

I was living in NYC at the time this track had just come out and I hadn’t had time to listen to it on my own time. I was working at ChaCha Matcha on Broome street in Nolita, wasting time in the basement washing containers. I’d listen to music on my headphones to get in my own zone. Finally I had a second to listen to new Alex G and it blew me away. The pitched vocals at the beginning sealed the deal for me. The odd structure was hard for me to follow at first but it is just one of those tracks you have to become familiar with first. Some of my favorite modern mixes on this album. 

Bob Dylan – “Fourth Time Around” 

I found this track just attempting to do research on Bob Dylan. I never really got super deep into his work but there were some tracks that spoke to me. He’s also a Minnesotan so I felt some kind of responsibility. I had moved back to Minnesota trying to slow down and get to the root of songwriting. Feeling burnt out on the city, I found this track. The guitar work and lyrics were right up my alley. Still one of my favourite tracks, and one that really inspired me to write just from intuition and feeling.  

Yves Tumor – “Medicine Burn”

When my partner and I made our way out to Vermont to settle down in the countryside, there was always plenty of time to drive the winding roads whilst running errands. And that was our opportunity to dive into this track by Yves Tumor. This song really sent me into a spiral, production and lyric wise especially. Maybe you wouldn’t think it’d be the track to listen to while being hugged by mountains but it was perfect for us. The guitars and drums rip through the track as the lyrics stab through at any open opportunities. Just such a sick track it really gives me energy.