Kevin Bronson on May 23rd, 2020

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Quarantine has meant learning time for Sofia Bolt — the L.A.-based French artist has been teaching herself production while holed up at home. In today’s QUARANTUNES on Buzz Bands LA, hear the fruits of her labor, a new double-single, and the playlist that has kept her motivated.

THE LATEST FROM SOFIA BOLT

Sofia Bolt — aka French-born singer-songwriter Amélie Rousseaux — moved to L.A. in 2017 in the aftermath of a breakup, a transition she processed boldly on the 2019 album “Waves.” Van Dyke Parks contributed the string arrangement for the title track, a bonus note of intrigue after the album’s calling card, “Get Out of My Head,” was released in late 2018. Last November, she followed with a double-single highlighted by the track “Heart Is a Rock.”

This week brought the arrival of another double-single, “Share a Glass” — both cover songs, but representing an artistic triumph: Both “Fixture Picture,” the lead song on Aldous Harding’s 2019 album “Designer,” and “La Nuit Je Mens,” a 1998 single from the late singer-songwriter Alain Bashung, were the first songs Rousseaux engineered and produced in DIY fashion. On the latter, Dustrider (aka songwriter, producer and arranger Oliver Hill) recorded drums, bass and backing vocals from his home. Cellist Emily Elkin did likewise for “La Nuit Je Mens.”

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

Sofia Bolt: I’d say I’m doing pretty well considering. I’ve been keeping busy by learning how to use Logic to record and mix my own music. The double-single I just released are the first songs I recorded this way. Dustrider (Oliver Hill) and Emily Elkin recorded some parts in their own homes and then sent them to me. It was a fun and enlightening experience. Other than that I’ve been busy writing songs for my next record, trying meditation for the first time, creating a 21-day guitar challenge and [doing] puzzles.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

Sofia Bolt: To hug and touch others. To get in the studio and record my second album. To play music with friends. To host the Salaam Womxn Jam Night. To travel to Europe and see my family.

ANYTHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PLAYLIST?

Sofia Bolt: These songs (mostly all new releases) have kept me motivated and are inspiring me to keep creating and playing music until things can get back to normal again.