Seraphina Lotkhamnga on August 16th, 2013

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Old-school vibes aren’t just coming from the old folks anymore, and L.A.’s very own Moonchild is strong evidence for that. The neo-soul trio whose members only recently graduated from college has gained attention near and far for their self-recorded debut “Be Free.” Amber Navran, Max Byrk and Andris Mattson first met at USC, where they studied jazz performance, and eventually they toured together in 2011 as a horn section. But soon enough their creative juices prompted the recording of songs that not only feature their skills as mutli-instrumentalists but songs that have acquired fans such as James Poyser (Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, the Roots) and even Stevie Wonder, who invited them to open for him. Songs such as the title track seductively percolate while the tickled ivory gives it a shimmer, and Navran’s vocals effortlessly float in and out of warm chords and outstanding horn interludes. File next to Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild and KING. Moonchild’s sophomore release is slated for 2014.

||| Stream: “Be Free” and “Ocean Deep”

||| Download: “Don’t Wake Me” via Bandcamp

||| Live: Moonchild plays Nov. 7 at the Bootleg Bar with Kris Bowers and Moses Sumney.