Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Summertime,’ Lolawolf

ABOVE: (LEFT TO RIGHT) JAMES LEVY, ZOË KRAVITZ, AND JIMMY GIANNOPOULOS. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL LEVITON. 

NYC-based trio Lolawolf, headed by Zoë Kravitz and backed by James Levy and Jimmy Giannopoulos of Reputante, have had an exciting year. The band, named after Kravitz’s two younger siblings, released their debut EP in January to good reviews and subsequently embarked on a multi-city tour throughout the US with the band Poliça. Last week, they played a show with The Roots. Combining wonderfully addictive and original surging electro-pop and melody-driven beats, Kravitz’s smoky voice harmoniously compliments the backing synth instrumentals provided by Levy and Giannopoulos. Her father, Lenny, would certainly be proud.

Summertime,” Lolawolf’s seasonally appropriate latest single, is a hybrid of a swelling sea of synth-heavy beats and warm R&B grooves, clocking in at a too-short two minutes and twelve seconds. It’s a song that’s worthy of driving with your car’s roof down, shoulders shimmying, while attempting to echo the catchy refrain with friends. Equal parts playful, bouncy, energetic, and just plain fun, Kravitz croons for the single life that the warm weather inevitably encourages: “In the summertime / I feel like breaking up.”

The accompanying music video, which was created by the skateboard-loving Giannopoulos with his childhood in mind, is deviously simple. “When I was a kid, I would watch Bones Brigade’s ‘Future Primitive’ every summer,” he explains, referring to the Stacy Peralta-produced 1980s video film that included the likes of Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen in their early years. “I cut up my favorite part on my phone using an app in between mixing songs, threw ‘Summertime’ over it, and landed a future lo-fi kinda video. Mixing can be boring, ya know?” The resulting nostalgia-driven product is equally enjoyable to both listen to and watch.

FOR MORE ON LOLAWOLF, VISIT THE BAND’S FACEBOOK PAGE.