Somewhere between sweaty shows, shared kitchen tables and part-time jobs, the band L.A. Sagne was born. Four friends and a stack of demos in a crashing computer on the outskirts of the city grew into a rock-solid band with music as their anchor in tough times. Their debut album Good Company is exactly that: the hand that pulls you into the mosh pit and helps you up when you fall. Because this record wasn’t born out of grand plans or distant ideals, but from a lively community at Zuiderzeeweg, somewhere at the top of the Amsterdam municipality’s demolition list.
The opening track Music in the Neighbourhood also marks the beginning of Good Company in terms of content. At a time when guitarist Lazlo Rogier wrote 60 demos in one go, singer Tara Wilts was forced to leave her home. Wilts explains: “This record stems from a time when everything was uncertain: being evicted, losing work, debts, a future that feels increasingly unaffordable – and meanwhile trying to hold on to a creative existence.” With her honest lyrics and infectious energy, Tara makes the listener an insider of the band. The subjects are small and concrete, and that is precisely where their power lies. “I am drawn to themes that don’t need metaphors to be poetic. Sentences that directly and honestly depict life, our lives,” says Wilts. Good Company feels like a collection of punk manifestos about generational frustration, community, dreams that seem unattainable, failing systems, frenzied love and sometimes simply the need to not worry about any of that for a moment.
Musically, the band continues to build on their own definition of the punk genre. It ranges from lightning-fast, explosive songs to bossy mid-tempo bangers, played with a ton of bulldozer energy and unadulterated fun. Sharp riffs and playful guitar violence are given more breathing space on the album without losing any of their urgency. L.A. Sagne released their debut album Good Company via Geertruida Label. The album was produced and recorded together with Maurits Nijhuis at Karakterbak studio in Amsterdam. This created space for a broader palette with layers, slower tempos, more prominent vocals and the occasional hooligan choir.