New York funk-soul duo Lion Babe ignite a funky, psychedelic dance party in their groovy “The Wave” video. The new song, which features Brooklyn rapper Leikeli47, will appear on the duo’s forthcoming album, Cosmic Wind.
In the vibrant clip, Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman groove alongside dancers as a kaleidoscope of colors swirl around their choreographed moves. “Everybody’s moving through the wave,” Hervey sings, which is as much a lyric as it is a pleasing command coupled with the song’s discofied beats and bass. “Feel the thunder in the bass line,” Leikeli47 affirms in her rap verse.
“With ‘The Wave’ we wanted create a fun vibe that anyone could move and sing to. It has a classic groove funk type of vibe, with a blend of modern and vintage sonics,” Lion Babe tells Rolling Stone. “We hope listeners feel good and get moving through the wave when they hear this one.”
Lion Babe say the trippy, retro-tipped style of the visual adeptly fits with their aim to “bring up nostalgia from Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove Is In the Heart,’ meets Barbarella with a little Soul Train. It’s funky and fun and was made to universally evoke smiles.”
The track has been selected by the American Heart Association as the official song for their “Kids Heart Challenge,” a nationwide physical education initiative aimed to get kids in participating schools dancing as a means of heart-healthy exercise and raise funds for the organization’s life-saving mission.
Cosmic Wind, due out on March 29th, is the follow-up to their 2016 debut, Begin. The group says their sophomore effort is more consistent than their debut and features “a more defined pure version of their sound.” The new LP was primarily culled in their Brooklyn, New York studio.
“We didn’t have much experience yet with writing and making records, so there was a lot trial and error, and having to learn quick [with Begin]. There was also a lot of label push to influence our sound and who we worked with,” they explain. “Now that we’re independent, we are able take full control and create a project that is 100 percent us.
“Cosmic Wind is us in our new zone,” Lion Babe added. “This album is in our vision to the fullest. We’ve brought on producers/artists/musicians who are good friends of ours and part of our core team, who’ve helped us take the music to the next level, embracing the sound we first began with.”