TOLEDO capture the struggles of social life on their relaxed new single “L-Train”

Given the blissed-out atmosphere of TOLEDO’s newest release "L-Train", the wistful lyricism feels almost ironic. This contradiction is not new for the band – their last release, 2021’s "David", occupied a similar terrain, exploring family tensions experienced by Jordan Dunn-Pilz and the titular David, his brother. Jordan makes up one half of the band alongside Dan Alvarez, whose full surname – Alvarez de Toledo – became the band’s namesake.

The Brooklyn-based duo explained that "L-Train" was born out of “a low point for the both of us,” where they were “drinking and partying and losing sight of [themselves]” after moving to Bushwick and packing their schedules with live shows. This sense of social listlessness permeates the lyrical content of the track, charting the regret of a hangover and a questioning of one’s place in life, using the titular L-Train as a representation of the paths they can take into the future. “I don’t wanna do this anymore, I wanna know me better” neatly expresses the very particular feeling of a crisis of identity and place synonymous with the process of growing into independence in the 2020s.

Instrumentally, the summery, folky "L-Train" makes the band’s signing to Grand Jury Music an almost too obvious choice. TOLEDO now sit comfortably alongside their new labelmates, sharing a similar sonic playing field to the indie-pop of Hovvdy and Hippo Campus, whilst also maintaining their own distinct sound which has been carefully crafted over the five years the band has been active. In some ways, they resemble the light, breezy jangle pop of the late 2010s, but their emphasis on acoustic guitar plucking and constructing songs without notable electronic touch-ups gives their music a vintage, live feel.

The accompanying music video perfectly encapsulates the tone of the track. Animated by Kohana Wilson, who has previously collaborated with pop darling mxmtoon and the band MICHELLE, the hand-drawn art style has a kind of mellow surreal quality to it, simultaneously visualising the laidback, fun tone the track creates as well as the state of confusion and helplessness that inspired the song to begin with.