Prosthetic Boombox

Description

Nothing ever happened normally for Cola Boyy: a child's voice in a unique body, extraordinary talent, and an unlikely journey. Born with a severe disability, Matthew Urango, aka Cola Boyy, grew up in Oxnard (the hometown of Anderson .Paak and Madlib) and tried his hand at punk before choosing to write his own radiant disco pop tracks. Discovered by the French label Record Makers (home to Sébastien Tellier, Kavinsky...), which saw in him a songwriter bucking pop stereotypes, the Californian signed his first contract and released his debut EP *Black Boogie Neon* in 2018, featuring his hit *Penny Girl*. In two years, he went from a small DIY stage in Los Angeles to opening for MGMT, was invited to the Pitchfork Music Festival Paris, and then to Coachella (founder Paul Tollett made a point of attending the little prodigy's set). Why and how? First, for his songwriting talents and delightful company, which made Cola Boyy the favorite artist of our favorite musicians. And because he appeals beyond any niche, the artist managed to rally the most insane transatlantic cast of the year around him: on one side, MGMT and Australians The Avalanches, John Carroll Kirby (Solange, Blood Orange), and infinite bisous (protégé of Connan Mockasin); on the other side, the French Nicolas Godin (AIR) and Pierre Rousseau (solo project from Paradis), Ed Banger's protégé MYD, and Bon Voyage Organisation (architect of the 21st-century French disco revival). All united around Cola Boyy. The result: this *Prosthetic Boombox*, a debut album shaped like a colorful ghetto-blaster, a melting pot of influences ranging from Paul McCartney (Wings era) to Kanye West, via Harry Nilsson and Chaka Khan. It brings to mind the kid soul albums—those child singers pushed by Motown at the turn of the 70s and the success of the Jackson Five. It moves from a Latin-funk loaded with killer breaks to a delightful ballad, then a bittersweet disco funk, always with this core idea: fluid lightness and the real-life words of a very fired-up young Californian.