Louis Stein of Busty and the Bass on ET Suite

Montreal-based octet Busty and the Bass just released a short but sweet EP called ET Suite that is guaranteed to get you grooving. It’s also one that NASA might want to tune into. Why bring up the United States space program? Read more to find out.

Following the release of their last album Eddie, the popular electro-soul group takes their listeners on an astral journey with ET Suite. After listening, I can confirm just how wild of a ride this journey was. The amount of questions swirling through my head upon finishing the EP were plentiful. Luckily, I was joined by the band’s very talented and equally friendly guitarist Louis Stein to get some answers.

A funk-driven theme song for the stars

We started by discussing the first track, “ET”. Fun fact: the band’s vocalist Jafé is a native New Yorker like Stein! It turns out they went to high school together. “He inspired me to get into a band,” said Stein. Talk about things coming full circle. Another fun fact: “ET” first made an appearance on the band’s 2020 album Eddie. Learning this inspired me to ask Louis the following: did you imagine an album would spawn from the creation of “ET” back in 2020?

“Definitely not,” Stein shares. “Eddie was being released and we [the band] were just chilling in a park. Chris, our trombone player, had this idea to make a space-themed album. I thought it was a crazy idea at first, but then he started explaining it more and it all became clear. He’s really the mastermind behind the concept.”

Sounds pretty wild, right? That conversation in the park led to the creation of this funk-driven theme song for the stars.

We’re gonna have a space ******* party tonight

Our journey through the solar system continues with the EP’s second track, “ET Part II: Venus”. Fair warning—you’ll see a lot of planetary titles throughout the album!

This track features fellow Canadian artists Kallitechnis, TiKa, and Terrel Morris, who maintain the space theme by leading into the hook with the phrase, “We’re gonna have a space f***ing party tonight”, which was originally used in the song “ET”.

The song starts off smooth and slow but it doesn’t take long to pick up. Once the full band comes in, TiKa takes it away with her soulful voice and rightfully earns some head bops. My ears were already pleased with what I was hearing. As I moved onto the third track, I was pleasantly surprised to find out who the featured act was.

Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White (and quite possibly his signature white Sadowsky) make a guest appearance on “Part III: Jupiter” (the song, not the planet). I’m trying my hardest not to nerd out while Stein explains how he tracked his portion of the song.

“Some [members] of Busty and the Bass had flown into L.A. right before COVID-19 hit. Neil [the executive producer] drove up to Verdine’s house and tossed a cable through his front door.”

Talk about adaptation! According to Stein, it took only one day to record the track.

I alluded to NASA and how they might like this project at the beginning of the article. Why, you ask? Don’t worry, your curiosity will soon be fulfilled.

Louis Stein on art, life, and space parties

Recall the quote, “Art and life are subjective”? Whoopi may not have been the first to say it, but it sounds even better knowing it came from her mouth. I always keep this quote in mind when I’m interviewing an artist about their craft.

Still, I definitely enjoy arriving at my own conclusions when it comes to the perception of someone’s art. I was certain that ET Suite was a story about the twists and turns of companionship, of how it starts off blissful and promising, only to eventually devolve into turmoil.

I found the last song, “ET Part V: Mars”, to be an aggressive and volatile tune. After listening to it, I was convinced that my interpretation of the EP was right.

Having my own answer in mind, I asked Stein what kind of story he and his bandmates were trying to tell with this release. Waiting for him to echo my thoughts, he provided me with a slightly underwhelming yet very logical answer:

“It’s essentially about being abducted by aliens and receiving an invitation to a galactic party. You, the listener, are being transported to different planets and embracing the unknown with complete strangers.”

After digesting this explanation, I decided to respond with a joke about how this EP is basically giving NASA a head’s up on what to expect when they travel deeper into the solar system. Louis laughed and we went our separate ways. Consider your curiosity killed.

Listen here

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