Musician Maya Lucia and her band—bassist James Duncan, guitarist Misha Bondarenko, and drummer Samuel Stroup—released their dreamy single, "luuverboy," on Thursday. In the song, the Minneapolis native, who now splits her time between Los Angeles and Boston, pulls from coastal DIY sounds and artists like Phoebe Bridgers to create her own unique sound.
Lucia says "luuverboy" was written before the pandemic and that it has evolved a lot over the past year. For starters, after hearing Pheobe Bridgers' critically-acclaimed 2020 album Punisher, she and bassist Duncan, who also produced the band, were inspired to bolster the song into a floaty, surf rock-inspired track.
"James told me I should listen to the production and the undertones of (Phoebe Bridgers') 'Garden Song,' because if you break that song down, it's really simple. But the production is so cool."
Lucia also says that the meaning of "luuverboy" has changed. When it was originally written, it symbolized romantic longing. Now, she says the song has evolved into a sort of summer anthem for 2021, representing a widespread desire to return to normalcy after the pandemic.
"It's very timely because all anyone wants to do is think about what life will be like without COVID. And I think this song has a really great summertime feel to it," she says.
Lucia plans to release two more singles soon and a full EP in the coming months. For now, I'll be listening to "luuverboy" on repeat as I, too, long for the end of the pandemic and am excited to see whatever the future has in store.
