Ears Wide Open: La Bonte

Kevin Bronson on August 12th, 2021

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La Bonte is the vehicle for the solo work of Garrett La Bonte, a veteran of several punk bands who formerly released music under the band name Just.

La Bonte’s debut album is titled “Don’t Let This Define Me,” a collection of unfussy and at times endearingly shambolic indie-rock that allows his narratives, imbued with a palpable but not mawkish melancholy, shine.

Two years in the making, the album includes contributions from Eric Shevrin of Young Jesus, Brooke Dickson (The Regrettes) and Janey Riech (Layman), with production, engineering and the mix by Colin Knight.

It is Dickson who guests as vocalist on the third single, “Francis Right,” which arrived this week with an animated video by Eddie Ramos.

“Some of my favorite songwriters past and present have been able to tell stories through their writing, and ‘Francis Right’ is my attempt at this same craft,” La Bonte says. “It follows a character that is continually dealing with loss at every turn, every attempt at finding a better path in life. Through the disillusionment of falling time and time again, the story resolves in the arms of a loved one, comforting the character at their lowest.”

Of the video, Ramos says: “Using a combination of After Effects and frame-by-frame animation in Photoshop to emulate a hand-drawn style, this music video for the song ‘Francis Right’ takes direct inspiration from the song’s lyrics. Through a series of abstract scenes, we follow the character Francis Right as he navigates the aftermath of a broken relationship, and the road to finding closure.”

The album is out Aug. 27 via Anxiety Blanket Records.

||| Watch: The video for “Francis Right”