The streets of London were dotted with men and women in masquerade masks and face paint, running to a secret location in Soho just to get a spot in a queue filled with cans, spliffs, and Vogues. As the afternoon drew on, the chances of getting in grew smaller, so alliances formed as joints were traded for spots in the line. Entry ensued as phones were taken and locked; hence why I’m writing this with a pen and paper, kindly gifted by a reluctant security guard, under candlelight as the smell of incense fills the room. Soft, jazzy, techy beats filled Lost’s main social and bar area as fifteen-pound drinks were poured and the main room filled up.
Shortly after, the doors were shut, and the remaining fans had to wait for the main club entry. Meanwhile, a mysterious man who later introduced himself as Isaac came to the stage. We learned he was a best friend and long-time collaborator of Lausse, but most importantly, the first person to push him to make music. Then, from behind the draping curtains and ambient red light, a suited man in a papier-mâché cat head appeared. The roar of barely one hundred and fifty fans shook the floor. Expressing the surrealness of this being the first time he’s ever seen a fan, we heard his voice for the first time.
The pair explained this was going to be a vinyl playthrough of the album and a chance to ask questions about each track, a chance to talk to an artist we hadn’t had so much as a photo of before. Keeping his anonymity by changing into a mask he could see through, it was a look into his soul, not his exterior. There had been seven long years of waiting for this release, and one of the first confessions from Lausse was that he never actually took a break. With a crew consisting of just Lausse, Isaac, and other collaborators like Nix Northwest and Patty Daniels, the small team and the complexity, length, and storytelling of the album make the resulting triumph apparent.
As questions began, the album’s construction started to play out through Lausse’s storytelling. It began at the end of university, creating I.D.W.G.A.J. as a monotonous bar job, which ignited a ‘this is my life for the next 50 years’ crisis. Following travels to Berlin, Paris, Athens, and Spain inspired the idea of four EPs to pair with each experience. The first, Berlin, inspired the ‘I’m not crazy, you guys are crazy’ motto of ‘Blue Bossa’ as he began to question his idea of normal.
The more places he went and the more he couldn’t stop writing, the more he realised it was an album. The longest song, and my personal favourite, ‘The Mocking Stars’, was originally two tracks. It took him six whole months to bridge these two together with the verse starting ‘I asked the stars…’. This is one of the defining moments that takes the album from great to a masterpiece; the song is the magnum opus of his career.
Diving deeper into the conceptualism of the album, he cited inspirations such as Pink Floyd’s Goodbye Blue Sky. He wanted to explore the darkest thing that could be written: what if the sun simply didn’t rise? The apocalyptic world he builds over the album is deep and complex, featuring many different characters. Exploring those of the ‘Tea Party’, we learned they each hold one of their biggest fears: Time, Madness, and the Dark. As they ask the moon to rid them of these burdens, he does it in the worst way possible.
Secrets continued to spill in a ‘you had to be there’ moment I don’t want to ruin. Dodging personal questions with ease, he still shared what’s upcoming but also left it a mystery whether he will return or make a new album. The album played through and, after a few boogies and crowd jumps, it was over. Masked fans continued into Lost’s disorienting rooms, exploring lewd cinemas, the smallest sake bar in the world, and Red Light District-esque bathrooms that strangely matched the attire.
A few hours and Red Bulls later, Lausse came back for his first-ever live performance. It was a ground-shaking, interactive set where he rapped with chosen fans, invited the entire crowd on stage, and dived repeatedly. He cruised through his whole catalogue and ended with fan favourite ‘Redstripe Rhapsody’. Lausse claimed in his Q&A that he’s always felt somewhere between the sun and the moon, and I would agree—he’s landed in the stars. His energy is that of someone who has been itching for human interaction with his fans and to finally bask in the glory of a decade of hard work. As we’re promised more live shows, demand is only going to increase as more people worry they’re going to miss their chance to see this shooting star.
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