LaMP has announced the release of its sophomore album, One of Us, which will be released on March 21, 2025, via Royal Potato Family. In tandem with the news of a full-length studio set, the trio unleashed its initial preview, the kaleidoscope entry “Jasper’s World. ” This track titters the line between funk-focused and psychedelic master play at the helm of Russ Lawton’s prolific backbeat, which coalesces Metzger’s riffs, projecting the ensemble’s instrumental symbiosis to the sonic forefront.
One Of Us consists of 10 tracks packed into a 35-minute package featuring Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (Hammond organ, Hohner Clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano) and Scott Metzger (guitar). The new collection follows the band’s initial offering, their self-titled 2020 debut, and subsequent live follow-up, last year’s Live at Nectar, derived from LaMP’s two-night run at Burlington’s famed jam epicenter–where the band initially formed in 2018.
”The album is called One Of Us, but if there is a theme to this record, it might be ‘three of us,’” Paczkowski says. “We’re all writers in the sense of courting some kind of inspiration, a melody, a rhythm, a vibe; feeling some kind of spark and bringing it to the band. The goal was to get a fire going.”
The trio pulls experience from their other gigs, Lawton and Paczkowski’s histories in the Trey Anastasio Band and Soule Monde, and Metzger’s roots in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and as a collaborator of Wilco’s Nels Cline, John Medeski and Anders Osborne, and in turn offers a master class in musical interplay and understanding.
According to the band’s official press release, they were pressed to enter the studio after their experience at Nectar’s, taking part in a three-day recording session at Ben Collette’s Tank Recording Studio in Burlington. ”Recording is like therapy for us,” Lawton says. “Everyone is always writing and we’d built up a new batch of songs that we wanted to get down.”
“Most of these tunes started from beats Russ sent around, and Ray or I would put down a harmonic or melodic idea we thought captured the mood of the groove,” Metzger adds.
”This record has more of a gritty, edgy sound to it compared to our first one,” Metzger explains. “The first album felt clean and smooth. One of Us has a more attitude. It still emphasizes melody, groove, and accessibility like the first record, but this one feels like we’ve got some more miles under our belt, which makes sense since 2024 was a big year for our little band.”
The band will return to Nectar’s on March 7-8 to perform two nights before the LP’s release date of March 21. LaMP will then proceed with a tight Northeastern run in mid-to-late March, which preludes a handful of festival appearances slated for summer.
One Of Us will be available on March 21 via Royal Potato Family on limited-edition 180-gram splatter-color vinyl, 180-gram classic black vinyl, and digital formats. Pre-order now.
Tracklist:
1. Cosmo
2. One Of Us
3. Nice Girl (Walks Loud)
4. Stalker List
5. The River Jordan
6. Jasper’s World
7. Backfire
8. Ulterior Motives
9. Muckle On
10. Clipse-O