There’s a reason Washington D.C.’s Lakaff keeps calling his sound “heart music.” This is not a gimmick but a mission. A singer songwriter, multi instrumentalist and producer who started ou on French horn and euphonium before teaching himself bass, guitar and production, Lakaff has been steadily building a catalogue of songs since 2023 that blur the lines between indie rock, hip hop, and electronic music. His latest two singles “may.Be” and “Jambles” show just how far that vision has come.

Released earlier this year, “may.Be” is Lakaff’s first Dolby Atmos release and the kind of track that makes you want to sit between the speakers.

It’s built on a sleek electro groove, layering artful drums, shimmering guitar and silky flute and sax lines from Grammy winning guest Johnny Butler.

Emmy winning engineer Cheryl Ottenritter handled the Atmos mastering. This is a song that defines Lakaff’s “heart music.”

Where “may.Be” is expansive and collaborative, “Jambles” is more stripped back and personal. Lakaff channels the wiry guitar energy of early Strokes records, then threads it through the trap style percussion he admired from artists like Future.

Instead of leaning on a drum machine for thetrap meets guitar vibe, he tracked live, kit oriented sounds, giving the song a punchy and human edge beneath its clattering hi-hats and pulsing bassline. Lyrically, it’s a collage of daily life fragments gathered over time, dotted with sly nods to Oasis, “Sk8er Boi,” and other personal touchstones.

Together the two songs function as a kind of diptych. “may.Be” reveals Lakaff the collaborator, reaching outward with a lush and immersive production.

“Jambles” shows Lakaff the diarist, boiling down his influences into something lean and immediate. Both singles are recognisably his. They are playful, soulful and just a little bit restless, constantly looking for new ways to join the organic with the synthetic.

If these tracks are any indication, Lakaff’s “heart music” is becoming something of a signature sound. With more Atmos mastered singles already in the pipeline and live shows on the horizon, both “may.Be” and “Jambles” show an artist whose sound is emerging and coming into focus – immersive, genre blurring and designed to resonate well.

About Lakaff

Lakaff is a Washington D.C. based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Raised on school band brass instruments (French horn, then euphonium), he discovered rock in middle school and taught himself bass while playing along to Aerosmith records, and soon added guitar, vocals, and production to his skill set.

Since 2023 he has steadily released tracks that mix indie rock guitars, trap inspired percussion, dexterous bass lines, horns and other unexpected textures, taking cues from artists as varied as Oasis, Disclosure, Shania Twain, The Prodigy, Kasabian, and 50 Cent.

His singles feature artwork by visual artist Masato Okano, known for designs for Metallica and Murphy’s Law, and collaborations with Grammy winning saxophonist Johnny Butler and Emmy winning audio engineer Cheryl Ottenritter.

With more Atmos mastered singles planned and live performances on the horizon, Lakaff is carving out a distinctive place in today’s music landscape – quirky, playful, and soulful.

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