Daiana Feuer on March 27th, 2018

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Bart Davenport has been a legend to those who know since the early 1990s and his days in the Loved Ones. His sweet, smooth crooning voice, expressive guitar playing, and love for vintage R&B and blues cemented his place in the West Coast mod scene revival of that time. Since going solo in 2002, Davenport’s released a steady stream of songs to soundtrack romantic ups and downs and the existential roller-coaster of modern life. On April 27, not one but three labels (Burger Records, Lovemonk and Légère) will join forces to release his latest album, “Blue Motel.” Operating under a new name, Bart & the Bedazzled, “Blue Motel” features the musicianship of guitarist Wayne Faler, drummer Andres Renteria and bassist Jessica Espeleta — the band he’s mostly played with since moving to Los Angeles in 2010 —  with L.A. Takedown’s Aaron M. Olson serving as producer. All of them feel united in an appreciation for what they call the “Elegant ’80s,” which they explored over the course of 11 days in a Boyle Heights recording studio. Lyrically, the songs tackle  themes of “day jobs, dating, urban decay, lost innocence and most prominently time travel,” bringing to life the landscape of Davenport’s imagination, which is part ’60s, part ’80s, a little bit happy and a little bit sad. First single “The House That Built Itself” has a cheeky sense of humor, offering consolation, perhaps in the form of hugging, kissing and naps, to soften the cold, harsh, blows of reality.

||| Watch: “The House That Built Itself”

||| Live: Bart & the Bedazzled perform May 1 at Zebulon. Tickets