Oregon-based pop-rock band Bluphoria released the first single from their upcoming debut album on Aug. 19: a song entitled “Set Me Up” about the struggles of young love in a pandemic.
“Why don’t you just set me up/ Come on, tell me what I did to mess it up,” lead singer Reign LaFreniere sings over energetic guitar riffs in “Set Me Up.” LaFreniere explained that the song tells the story of a failed relationship and the challenges that a couple faced during the pandemic.
“It reflects a thought process where…two people who aren’t necessarily ready to go into something like that, that whole relationship ending, but it seemed like it was set up to begin with,” LaFreniere said. “It never really was made to last.”
The band, which is signed to EDGEOUT Records, incorporates classic rock influences with pop, southern rock and psychedelic sounds, according to their biography.
For their upcoming 2023 debut album, Bluphoria collaborated with producer Mark Needham, a Grammy Award winner who has worked with artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Imagine Dragons and P!NK, according to Bluphoria’s recentpress release.
LaFreniere said his favorite part of developing the band’s new album was working with Needham in Nashville, Tennessee. According to LaFreniere, Needham encouraged the band to take risks with their artistry, even when it was uncomfortable or might have disappointing results.
LaFreniere considered “Set Me Up” to be the final chapter of the story that the upcoming album tells. He described the album as a “reflection of love and loss within the pandemic.”
“We’re, as a generation, so existentially traumatized. I feel that it reflects in a lot of what we do, how we act, and a lot of the art that we consume,” LaFreniere said. “I try to reflect that a little bit in my music as well.”
LaFreniere said that he hopes audiences are able to connect with the band’s music and feel its emotional impact, even if the meaning is different for each individual listener.
LaFreniere advises aspiring musicians and encourages artists to continue honing their craft and to take all opportunities that come their way. He said that he made the most influential connections for his career on the days that he had considered not even leaving his home in the first place.
As is detailed in the band’s biography on their website, the band is composed of lead singer and guitarist Reign LaFreniere, rhythm guitarist Dakota Landrum, drummer Dani Janae and bassist Rex Wolf.
LaFreniere met his fellow band members in college at The University of Oregon and he considered his time there an important part of his personal and musical journey.
“It allowed me to see a new world almost, that just kind of helped me contextualize who I am and what I’m meant to do in this world,” he said. “And I think that has done wonders for my music.”
LaFreniere also hinted that more new songs will be released later in 2022. Individuals interested in Bluphoria can listen to the band’s current discography on Spotify.
