Biography

Loren Berí’s debut EP 'Stray Cat Kingdom' is inhabited by madcap characters and intersecting storylines in an alternate version of Brooklyn. Set to synth-pop, a cast of artists in New York arrive, fall out with one another, meet their heroes, or become heroes themselves. The funky, spiky style of psych-pop greats of Montreal can be heard throughout, from the arpeggiating synths of “My Brooklyn (Is Better Than Yours)” to the starry-eyed melodies of “Genesis 2.0.” Fittingly, the punchy anthem “Greta’s Inn” features NYC indie-pop vet and former of Montreal member Kishi Bashi, as he transports the listener to a mystical club space, tying into the Stray Cat Kingdom’s larger projection that nothing may be as it seems. Work on 'Stray Cat Kingdom' started after Berí had established roots in NYC, a moment when he also found himself at a general crossroads: “I was having a tough time, artistically and otherwise,” he recalls. “I wasn’t sure I really wanted to put myself out there anymore. But continuing to write songs was better for my mental health than not writing.” After befriending fellow musician and producer O Mer—and finding out that Omer grew up with Loren’s cousins—O Mer ended up contributing production to three of the EP's songs. The wide-scale setting is an alternate-universe version of Brooklyn that the EP's protagonist 'Zo' (short for “Lorenzo”) lives in. (Larry Fitzmaurice)