Lookers Release Debut Album, Share “Deeper” Single + Video | Deeper LP Out Today via Almost Ready Records
The genesis of Lookers began when vocalist and poet Muggs Fogarty and guitarist/frontman Rafay Rashid sparked as a songwriting duo in the 2010’s. They recruited notables from the Providence, RI music scene, including bassist/violinist Fl
Over the past few months, the band has steadily released singles and music videos, earning praise from the likes of Earmilk and Magnet. Now, with much anticipation, “Deeper” is finally available in its entirety. With songs that tease and thrash, “Deeper “will leave you spent and wanting more. The album opens with Rafay and Muggs’ “Midnight TV Dinner”, starting us off with restless nights and hot desires. Then they jump into bed with the tongue-in-cheek eponymous track “Deeper”. Florence’s “Animal” follows with the addition of violin. Producer & engineer Bradford Krieger said “You’re a total freak for this one”.
Moments of seductive lightness dance through the sparkling guitar chimes of “Alone”. “It’s not enough, it’s just an ocean”/ “You’re not what I want” / but no one else will do”. “Bury You Under” offers a cinematic end to the first side of the record with a murderous revenge fantasy and Nick’s expert feedback loops. Bryan’s kick pedal was squeaky and the sound made it into the recording for added texture. Muggs’ voice melds into a machine with some glitched out operatics.
The second side strikes with the understated ghost story, “Body Bag”, followed by the banger “Depressed,” on which the guts of Muggs’ voice are supported by a driving beat, accented by violin. “Thing” has Nick’s expert finger picking, some pocket piano, extended doubling of vocals from Muggs and Florence, and surprisingly, a tambourine. “Crisis” is for dancing, not crying. Finally, at the end of “Dead,” you can hear all the hysterics the Lookers live show ignites from its audiences.
Recorded and produced by Bradford Krieger at Big Nice Studio, Deeper speaks to the complexity of desire, its erotic absences and desperations, its thrills. With songs originating deep in the shuddering heart of the band, most tracks pull from Muggs Fogarty’s language and Rafay Rashid’s musical instincts. Alongside the release, they are highlighting title track “Deeper” with a music video.
Deeper is out today via Almost Ready Records.
Lookers Live
Sat April 26 – Providence, RI – Lost Bag
Thurs May 1 – Montclair, NJ – Meat Locker
Fri May 2 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Lookers has its roots in a long-standing creative relationship between Muggs and Rafay. Can you talk about how that partnership began and how it evolved into a full band?
Muggs and Rafay wrote their first song together fifteen years ago after meeting as college students in New York. A fast and foundational appreciation for each other’s artistry took hold, and with it grew a process of transmuting Muggs’ poetry into lyrics. When both returned to their hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, and after cutting a few demos, the new songs caught the ears of Rafay’s fellow bandmates from Ravi Shavi, Nick Politelli (guitar) and Bryan Fielding (drums). With the addition of Florence Wallis on bass and violin, Lookers got legs and started running.
The album has such a dynamic range—teasing, thrashing, seductive, cinematic. How did you approach sequencing the songs to create that emotional arc?
Much of how we sequenced the album mirrors the order we play during our live set. It’s a negotiation of tension and release, big energetic waves of catharsis and moments to restore, laugh even. It’s tried and true.
The video for “Deeper” coincides with the album’s release. What ideas or imagery did you want to bring to life with that visual companion?
We knew we wanted a dance heavy video in the repertoire. The song speaks to an internal struggle to communicate beyond the shallow fun of what’s happening in the moment. In each shot, one dancer represents the frozen feeling of not being able to connect, while the other fully expresses and releases that pressure. Like a tug of war between fear and feral, or fantasy and fact. We had the pleasure of working with filmmaker Alex Pizzuti on this project, who lovingly shot and edited this video and is a greenscreen genius. Artist Mary Lindberg, who designed the album art for ‘Deeper’, also provided custom hand drawn images on Muggs and Florence’s costumes to tie it all together.
