iogi nurtures his wild side on wooly funk joyride "We Can Be Friends"

Photo by Michael Topyol

Yacht rock, as a style of easy listening music, is perennially at the butt-end of nearly any joke about popular culture. Damp, hairy, and oftentimes completely devoid of self-awareness, it’s the musical equivalent of an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt loosely draped over a pot-bellied torso bedecked in a gold chain tangled amidst a dense foliage of chest hair. This preconception is largely based on reputation alone, a comment more on the middle-aged mayors of Margaritaville that are so enamored with the style that it becomes their only personality trait. Extract the sunscreen and cheap rum, toss aside the sweat-stained captain’s hat and Maui Jim shades and it becomes apparent that the framework for yacht rock is actually a unique sound, it’s largely just the beachside dive décor generates the tacky odor.

iogi’s “We Can Be Friends” is emblematic of this, embracing the mechanics of yacht rock while bending the grooves and rhythms into a form that spotlights the music while keeping the cheese factor safely at arm’s length. The result is a compelling romp that bounces on a squelchy bassline and layered vocal harmonies, augmented with a shuffling rhythm and punchy piano. A psychedelic Key West by way of the Middle East flavored odyssey that recalls the casual Habibi Funk of Roger Fakhr’s "Had To Come Back Wet," iogi has managed to tap into a deeper wellspring of cultural relevancy and sonic tradition that transcends the easy trap of succumbing to early musical retirement.

"We Can Be Friends" channels the timeless buddy comedy dynamic, a lo-fi reimagining of Han Solo and Chewbacca’s symbiotic co-existence that willfully disengages from the pseudo-seriousness of the galaxy far, far away, amping the camp into an orbit more closely aligned with that of Spaceballs by way of Napoleon Dynamite. “We Can Be Friends” develops into an off the grid slice of life as iogi and his furry compatriot meander through a bucolic landscape on the cusp of spring, symbolic of their relationship blossoming into one of mundane wonder and gloriously comfortable routine. From snacking in front of the cathode tube binging on vintage wrestling tapes to vehicular and personal maintenance, campfire lounging to harmless bickering it’s easy to imagine these are the moments that fill the hours between the frames of grander adventures and the ones that more accurately define the true nature of a relationship. As the narrative progresses these vignettes are revealed to be memories, recollections of a time unburdened by the weight of responsibilities and ripe with the seeming boundless promise of a life lived unfettered and unencumbered. The furry companion then becomes more than just a physical thing, a representation of childhood all wooly and gleefully unhinged. Fresh seasons spent discovering oneself and enjoying simple pastimes that ultimately come to an end, manifesting themselves as a slideshow of memories recalled by a narrator rendered unreliable by the passing of time and the impenetrable filter of nostalgia. As the video closes, iogi once more encounters the corporeal incarnation of youth standing upon the side of the road. In a wordless exchange across a glass and sheetmetal expanse the pair are reunited for one more trip down memory lane, because no matter how far we stray from home, we always take time to reconnect with the hairy monster that lives within us all.

"We Can Be Friends" is the lead single off iogi’s upcoming album, also titled We Can Be Friends, out October 10 via Raw Tapes and available for pre-save. Stream the track on Spotify and follow iogi on Instagram.