The beginning of Tate Tucker’s Shangri LA EP made me close my eyes and breathe. It felt like I was in one of those sensory deprivation tanks on two tabs, being transported into another world. That opening track is called “Transcendence” and the name is spot-on, it feels like an awakening. Like you’re leaving this place and seeing a whole new one for the first time. And while it lacks any vocals from Tucker, save for some ambient echoes and layered whispers, it’s the perfect way to begin his new project, setting the tone for a 5-song vacation.
It’s hard not to like this project. Who doesn’t like going to the beach? Who doesn’t like daydreams on a hammock? Who hates margaritas? They may not like this album, but for the rest of us, Shangri LA feels like the perfect day in LA — or maybe juuust a bit outside the City of Angels.
Tate Tucker is born and raised in Los Angeles, where most artists from around the world are trying to go. But now music is giving him the opportunity to trade places, as radio spins for his records have brought him to all sorts of new places around the country to meet his new fans.