Cola Boyy - "Babylon"

Cola Boyy - "Babylon"

I first knew of Matthew Joseph Urango, the aritst known as Cola Boyy, as the guitarist for Sea Lions, a jangly indie pop band on Slumberland Records in the early 2010s. His contributions on guitar for Sea Lions, particularly on their 2011 full-length, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid to Ask, stood out for its irreverance and ability to bring new ideas to the classic C-86 sound that Sea Lions embodied. As it turns out, his musicality was quite diverse, as years later, I became enamored with his dance-fueled creations as Cola Boyy. The lead track “Penny Girl, “off of his debut EP, Black Boogie Neon, still elicits compliments from bar goers during my DJ sets. The Oxnard, CA-based artist, disability advocate, and self-proclaimed “disabled disco innovator,” sadly passed away last year. He was born with spina bifida, kyphosis, and scoliosis, but as his latest single “Babylon” suggests, that never stopped him from grooving and finding solace in joyful-sounding music.

“Babylon” is the lead single off of Cola Boyy’s forthcoming, posthumous record Quit To Play Chess, and it’s a perfect initial offering from this dynamic artist's final statement. The song is funky, catchy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and packed with all the spacey disco-soul goodness that made Cola Boyy such a unique force. On “Babylon,” the beat bounces along, surrounded by sharp synth stabs, tight grooves, and Cola’s signature vocals riding right down the middle. It’s fun and fresh in all the best ways—like Parliament-Funkadelic jamming with Stereolab at a roller rink. There’s a political undercurrent, too, but it’s in no way didactic. Cola had a gift for weaving his beliefs into the fabric of the music without sacrificing the groove, and “Babylont” is a perfect example.

Stream the track below!

You can pre-order Quit To Play Chess on vinyl via Bandcamp.

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