Lunchbagg Is Ready with a Fresh New Album

I recently sat down with local songwriter and producer Lunchbagg at my favorite spot (White Electric) to talk about his latest release, The Holy and the Hostile, which came out on Monday, January 23.

There is so much to enjoy off this album; the beats are bass-heavy and progressive and whether he is rapping over a party banger or reflecting on the lives of he and his friends, Lunch provides a unique and thoughtful project that fills a void for any listener in 2017.

Lunchbagg makes his own beats and owns his own sound, which is apparent in this latest offering. What draws me to his lyrics is the heartfelt honesty and the story he brings listeners through. This album serves as a turning point in his career as a musician, showing his progression from the last release, TrippyAssVegas, which was released in 2015. Songs like “Bestfriend” off of The Holy and The Hostile detail experiences in young adulthood and growing up.

Alyssa Cavallo: What is the underlying meaning behind “Bestfriend”?

Lunchbagg: There is a lot of prevalent emotion. I wrote it about two years ago, but it has gone through so much change since then. Originally I recorded the vocals through a vocoder with my friend playing on an electric organ. I think that what I was trying to get across in the song was how things can be both beautiful and tragic all at once.

Many of the songs on The Holy and The Hostile show the lyricist and introspective side of Lunchbagg — a side he says not many people have gotten to know in previous projects. Personally, I love songs that I can connect with emotionally, and “Bestfriend” has no shortage of emotions in it.

AC: What inspired The Holy and the Hostile?

Lunchbagg: It was a concept I developed because I felt like there was a lot of material there. As I was writing a poem it was a lyric that I used and decided to continue extracting ideas from it. I kept thinking about, “What is positive and what is negative? And how do we know the difference?” I typically create conceptual projects and though the music might not all be written about literal topics, sonically, there’s a theme that ties into the bigger picture.

I got to attend Lunchbagg’s listening party at Dusk in Providence where he had a brief interview and Q&A. He then performed new songs off the album as well as crowd favorites that energized a room full of devoted core fans. The atmosphere provided by the venue was perfect for the intimate performance and made everything feel very relaxed, but electric. I loved his energy, and so did the crowd, which he kept moving and singing along the entire 30-minute set. Just sitting down with a Gansett at the bar seemed impossible because of the energy in the room!

The Holy and The Hostile is a very heartfelt and cohesive project that exhibits an artist who desires for more — more success, more connection and more thoughtful music. 

Be sure to follow @Lunchbagg on all social media, and check out The Holy and The Hostile available on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music! Click to Listen here!