Now that Valentine's Day is long gone and couples can stop pretending they like each other, it's the perfect time to give a giant middle finger to youthful romantic bliss and get back to reality.
And like a sinking ship of Titanic proportions, the duo simply called the Dysfunct brings us an uncompromising debut EP, The Love Boat. Unlike the late '70s sitcom, this album is a brutal look at love lost, broken homes, family hardships, and, of course, heartbreak.
As for the Dysfunct, it's comprised of a well-respected hip-hop MC from Miami and a well-respected rock'n'roller from Los Angeles. Oh, and they're cousins.
"We call ourselves the Dysfunct because we come from a dysfunctional family," laughs Garcia. "The project was definitely a labor of love that took 30 years to make."
Garcia is no stranger to the Miami hip-hop game. He has gained much fame and notoriety as a gritty, no-holds-barred MC. But with this particular project, he decided to go in the complete opposite direction from his usual blinged-out rap by collaborating with his cousin, Adrianne Gonzalez, on an album that sounds more like Portishead than Pitbull.
"I know I wanted to do an album that challenged my current sound and really do something different," states Garcia. "Plus, I needed an excuse to work with my cousin. She's already such an established musician. I've always wanted to work with her."
Having a fair run as a successful singer-songwriter, Adrianne is also one of the lead singers for up-and-coming indie band The Rescues that's been getting some notoriety for its moving, acoustic remix of Katy Perry's "Fireworks." So is it easier or harder working with a relative than a perfect stranger?
"It's definitely a unique experience. It's so much fun. And at the same time, it was so personal doing this project," Adrianne says. "All the songs on this album are about a specific member of our family. So it was definitely cathartic working on this album with my cousin. Plus, our family is very dramatic."
Drama aside, the music off The Love Boat is nothing but lovely, featuring some heavy hitter productions by local producers like Plex Luther, Nick Fury, and Beta Control. The sound is a soothing blend of trip-hop combined with moody acoustic guitars and a thundering 808 drumbeat. Each song carries its own individual type of nostalgia, transporting the listener to a specific time and a certain mood.
"The album is definitely a journey," says Garcia. "We take the listeners through our lives. And hopefully, there are some things they can relate to. I'm sure everyone's family isn't perfect - there's always a dysfunctional member in every family, right?"
Download: The Dysfunct's The Love Boat EP
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