In an era where listening to music is merely one component of multitasking — say, while driving, making coffee, writing a report, biting your nails over the fate of humanity — it’s tricky to ensure an album is anyone’s main focus for more than the three seconds required to open Spotify.
So l.ucas is muting the outside noise and recalibrating listeners’ attention.
Distractions won’t do for the Boston musician and producer, who unveiled his debut project How Am I Supposed to Feel? with a short film screening last Saturday (October 21) at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington. The event fostered l.ucas’ intended environment for experiencing the record: A reflective and intentional space that ushers viewers into complex themes of isolation, anxiety, creativity, and social media.
As of today (October 30), curious listeners can access the film at home with a special link that accompanies a purchase from l.ucas’ online shop, where his new merch line debuts this afternoon. The project will also go live on his YouTube channel in early November, after fans have had the chance to experience How Am I Supposed to Feel? in a more intimate setting.
“I wanted to try and fully captivate an audience with an album premiere event, to find a way to remove everyone from the craziness of everyday life and create space for them to experience art without distraction,” he tells Vanyaland.
l.ucas outlined and created the short film with friend/director Jacob Rodier, who helped translate the album’s emotional layers into subtle but compelling imagery throughout the Northeast. As the story wends through locations such as l.ucas’ hometown of Leominster and UMass Dartmouth’s grassy amphitheater, l.ucas’ malleable beats shift between styles and headspaces.
“We really wanted the imagery to match the same themes explored in the music,” l.ucas explains. “We did this by doing things like using water to represent intense emotions, playing with bright lights to represent distorted reality, and architecture to represent mental confines. It’s not all self-explanatory, but my main hope is that the audience walks away with the curiosity to dive deeper into the album.”
Snag some new merch to get your screening link, or take the first plunge into How Am I Supposed to Feel? below.