After reissuing the eccentric Manhattanite Fanuelle’s remarkable self-titled LP earlier this year, Sweden's Emotion label have uncovered another peculiar gem of DIY pop, by the 42-year-old writer and debutant Martin Luuk. After decades away from making music—"When you discover Al Green," Luuk says, "you can either say 'Al Green is fantastic, but I can do my own thing and that is fine as well' or you can just lay down and die. I chose to lay down and die."—Luuk now feels emboldened by his age. His new single, "A Gentleman's Story," was produced by The Tough Alliance’s Henning Fürst, and it tells the story of a young man's impromptu gay experience in a bathroom and the turmoil he feels decades later, as a family man, never able to shake the memory. The instrumentation is precious and melodic, but his lyrics grip you in a way 20-somethings lamenting relationships probably never can. Luuk explains, "I am a full grown man and I want that to reflect in the music. I like it when ecstacy and shame collide, as they often do in the adult world. As well as in disco music." The "Gentleman's Story" single comes out June 5th.
Stream: Martin Luuk, "A Gentleman's Story"
