Spotlight: Floyd Fuji’s 'BLACK PONTIAC' Will Take You On A Drive Through Space

MusicSpotlight

Nov 8

☆ By Jennalynn Fung ☆

FLOYD FUJI’S MUSIC IS MANY THINGS - It’s bold, effervescent, lively, and authentic. It creates a space—an experience— for every listener where they feel enveloped in warm sunset skies and shooting stars. His music feels like a place one can escape to, rather than just a ballad playing on a speaker.

“BLACK PONTIAC”, the opening song on Fuji’s album, feels grainy in the first few seconds. It sounds like television static as you flip between channels, or change stations on your dad’s car radio. For the first three seconds, it feels like you’re in purgatory. As the grain fades away, the guitars and echoing of Fuji’s vocals are celestial. A listener feels like they’re cruising off the PCH and warping into other galaxies.

“It took a long, long time to get here, but we made it” is the first line(s) in the song. It is a testament to the lengths artists go to to create work that they are proud of— work that resonates with their soul. Floyd Fuji, born Kyle Thornton, attended Berklee College of Music and was originally the group “Kyle Thornton & The Company”, which left a huge impression on the music scene in Boston. The Company played at various venues in Boston and was adored by the tough Northeast music crowd. As years passed, though, Fuji was concerned that his songs in the company were being “diluted by producers” and that they beginning to lose its original purpose as a group. Fuji began to yearn for a solo project, where he could produce sounds completely introspective and for something else: to put out R&B music infused with soul. With the rest of the company’s blessing, Fuji decided to create a name for himself. The name according to Sound of Boston, “...is a combination of Floyd Mooney, … and the popular Japanese photography company Fujifilm.” BLACK PONTIAC is Floyd Fuji’s bold genesis as an artist, with this EP serving as a stepping stone for Fuji’s future works.

“SUPERNOVA FREESTYLE” begins with high pitched, synchronized singing. It reminds me of aliens on another planet, and whether that was Fuji’s intention or not, it ties in so perfectly with the overall energy of the song. Much like “BLACK PONTIAC”, both feel like songs that would be playing in a spaceship as you hurdle through the universe.

“GELATO” is the most pop-sounding song on Fuji’s album, with a giddy chorus and asynchronous, quick tempo that implores any listener to dance or sing along. Every beat feels relatable and almost familiar, like a song you would have heard at a high school kickback or a tune playing from the boombox at the beach. The lyrics, though, are far from shallow. They examine the hardships of relationships, wearing your heart on your sleeve, and vulnerability in dialogue.

“JACARANDA” begins with the sound of a reel, kind of like a flower blooming. The jacaranda is a tree native to tropical and subtropical regions in Latin America, which has beautiful purple flowers. Aptly named, the song itself seems to be focused on rebirth and strength in both one’s community and themselves. Fuji raps, “Fighting for the family and the homies / fight for things they taught me growing up / fight the feeling that I’m not enough / fight for you to just love who you love / fighting to be just who we are.” Like the tree this song is named after, both his vocals and percussion are powerful—so powerful, that it often sounds like they’re fighting for life, much like how the jacaranda will fight for sustenance and survival.

Painting a stark contrast to “JACARANDA” are the notes of “FIGURE EIGHT”. The final song of Fuji’s debut album fulfills exactly what he has intended to create since departing Kyle Thornton & The Company: a R&B song that is “bright, vibrant colors like oranges” and “smooth in texture”. If introspection and hope were a sound, it would be “FIGURE EIGHT”.

“FIGURE EIGHT” is my favorite on the EP, given that it solidifies the versatility of Fuji as an artist. BLACK PONTIAC as an EP is a full realization of Fuji’s own musical range. The instrumentation in “FIGURE EIGHT” perfectly matches the lyrics and meaning he tries to convey, while “JACARANDA” is an asynchronous masterpiece where the underlying chaos in instrumentation versus vocals manifests as art. The huge juxtaposition between the two songs is indicative of Fuji’s capacity to change up his narrative as an artist while still remaining authentic to himself. “FIGURE EIGHT” is soft spoken but diligent, like time. We let seconds slip by and sooner than we realize: the entire year is coming to a close. The ending of the song seems to slip by just as quickly, dissipating into static just as BLACK PONTIAC started. The static lends itself to a perfect loop of the album, where the last song blends seamlessly into the first, like a figure eight.

The entire EP is like a trip through the cosmos, exploring the depth and shallow ranges of Fuji’s work. His work is a world for his listeners, probably best envisioned as a spacecraft zooming through outer space and through different types of solar systems. Each solar system is similar in that they are made of stars, but still hold beautiful and remarkable differences. Every song on the EP has its own tone and message, but it comes together like a mosaic to show what Floyd Fuji is capable of.

It is abundantly apparent how talented Floyd Fuji is as a musician and artist. However, what separates the greats from the amateurs are the heart and soul they put into their work— something that Fuji has done so well that you can feel the energy reverberate with every melody. From his rebirth as Floyd Fuji to the numerous collaborations he has done with other artists, it is obvious that BLACK PONTIAC has been what he has waited so long to create—an EP that has been in the works for his entire lifetime, both subconsciously and consciously. Each lyric and strum of a guitar is done with such precision. It is hard to believe that this master of an EP is his debut, which subsequently only leaves me with more anticipation for future music to come.

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“It’s an album where you can bop, you can groove, you can move, it’s definitely something you could listen to in the car. Or an album that you play when you’re taking a shower or making love. I very much want it to be a lifestyle project. But really there’s only so much an artist can do, it’s up to the listener how they interpret it, or where they take it. All I can do is just create it.” - Duckwrth on ‘Supergood’ ⚡️ ⭐️ A blend of soulful seventies with his signature rap flow, ‘Supergood’ takes Duckwrth’s sound to the next level. Read the feature with Duckwrth on our site now - link in bio 💥💥💥

Kari Faux by @quillemons for our 13th Issue ✨ Thank you for all of the love for this issue we’re so happy to finally share with y’all! 🗣 Make sure you order your print copy asap as the first batch has already sold out - link in bio!

Issue 13 is OUT ⭐️ Our best issue yet featuring cover star Kari Faux + Alfie Templeman, MICHELLE, Spencer., Samone Zena + photos by Donée Buetessa, Zachary Francois, Logan Delaney, Darrell Jackson, Athena Merry, Andrea Riba, Jonathan Roensch & our audience ✨ 💌 20% of proceeds from print copy orders placed this week will be split between The Loveland Foundation & the Black Image Center Fundraiser. Link to the digital copy & to order a print copy in our bio - have fun checking this one out it’s fire xx