Smooth Rogers is the brainchild of Chicago-based musician, Zac Bron. Zac grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, moved to Chicago in 2018, and then quickly became involved in the music scene there playing in bands like Daydream Review and starting up duo project Picante. After playing in various bands and leading other solo projects, the idea to start Smooth Rogers came about during the pandemic in 2021. They released their debut album Speechless in summer 2023, combining elements of psychedelic rock with soul and funk. Speechless featured several musical contributions including Eric Novak (The Curls, Cordoba) on sax, Mia Lentz (Picante) co-writing, and Adam Upton from Smooth Rogers’ label Sundog Sounds on drums.
When sharing psych-soul project Picante, KCRW wrote Zac brings their psych-pop and synth background to make “funk-splattered soul music together out of their apartment home studio,” which applies to Smooth Rogers’ music too. Their second album Roger That! is set to release in April 2024 and takes a new direction, with Zac writing, performing, and producing everything on the record. Synthesizers and drum machines drive the new record, taking inspiration from 80’s synth pop and 90’s R&B.
Today Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout new track “Trouble In Paradise,” a dreamy tune that fuses chillwave, electro-funk, R&B, and smooth indie pop. With vocals that ooze chill summer vibes despite the lyrics being on the more personal side, the song is a groovy and danceable ode to the mixed feelings that come in the wake of a break-up.
Zac Bron describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“‘Trouble In Paradise’ is a song about feeling conflicted after a break-up: Knowing that it’s for the best to not be with that person but also seeing all of the great qualities in that relationship and missing it. To me, the song is both positive and sad, which was what helped me land on the song title. The songwriting and production were inspired by 90’s and early 2000’s pop and R&B. The overall vision for both this song and the album as a whole is to make fun danceable songs that are also very emotional and personal.”
LISTEN:
