“Tabula Rasa” is Latin for “blank slate”—though the inspiration behind the song is anything but optimistic. Concussa’s Luke Lotardo began writing the lyrics in January, following the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. That shocking injustice took his original poem in a more sinister direction.
“The song is an anger fantasy about indulging in a nihilistic spiral into global oblivion,” says Lotardo.
Lotardo met Caroline Jamison at a Christmas party at Brooklyn’s Slide Studios, where both were working as solo artists. They eventually hatched Concussa, naming the project after a fictional Regan-era female wrestler who remains their unofficial invisible mascot. Lotardo’s background includes work as a producer, songwriter, film composer and painter, along with a stint in the band Bohemians. Jamison previously performed with Retro Glam, an ever-morphing music project conceived and produced by Michael DeBarge.
“Tabula Rasa” is the fourth in a flurry of Concussa singles released since June. While the previous three have leaned into brooding trip-hop textures with a cinematic sweep, this one ups the intensity with a more aggressive guitar-driven approach.
“It’s heavier than anything Caroline and I have made on our own—for now,” says Lotardo.
The track was produced by Lotardo’s close friend, Rafe Cohan (White Cliffs). “We’ve all been there when you say, ‘Let’s make something just for fun,’ and two hours later you have something special that 100 percent must be released,” says Cohan. “This was one of those.”
We’re proud to premiere Concussa’s “Tabula Rasa.” Jamison also created an accompanying VHS-style video filmed at Brooklyn metal bar Lucky 13 Saloon. Look for that November 13.
—Hobart Rowland
