If you haven’t already heard of Gabriels, then be ready to hit the repeat button because that’s the reaction most of us have been having. The trio, comprised of gospel singer and choir director Jacob Lusk and producers Ryan Hope (Sunderland) and Ari Balouzian, self-released their debut EP, Love and Hate in a Different Time, in 2020, and signed with Elektra in 2021.
The trio formed when Hope and Balouzian, in search of a choir for a film they were working on, encountered Lusk, a gospel singer and choir director who’s also sung background for Diana Ross and others . The result of their collaborations is music that reverberates with emotion, oscillating between decades. They manage to call upon a certain musical consciousness with subtle nods to jazz, R&B, funk, soul and gospel, all capped off with flourishes of light electronics. According to buzzbands.la, “Many an act have sought to be retro and futuristic at once, and Gabriels are one to succeed.”
On their song “Blame,” from their EP Bloodline, Lusk’s voice lends a haunting beauty to the composition, coupled with lyrics that scorch the heart, it’s hard not to play this track back to back. “Not a slave if I’m already free, not a captive if it’s where I wanna be.” According to Clash Music, Lusk said of the intent behind the track:
“When examining our life’s problems, we hastily assign blame. ‘This happened because of this…’ Our song ‘Blame’ seeks to examine the construct of not only fault and shame, but take a deep dive into the world of addiction, and indulgence.”