From the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana, emerges Von LaRae, a rising pop and R\&B auteur whose artistry thrives at the intersection of vulnerability, sonic exploration, and cultural fusion. Over the course of his career, Von has carved out a space that is unmistakably his own, blending genres and moods into immersive listening experiences. His sound is rooted in the emotional honesty of classic R&B, yet it’s dressed in the modern textures of amapiano, afrobeats, dancehall, and alt-pop, creating a rich, multi-layered identity. Von’s journey began with his sensual 2022 debut, The Art of Sex, a record that introduced listeners to his atmospheric production style and intimate storytelling.
He followed it with 2023’s A.D.O.N.I.S., a project that expanded his thematic range and cemented his growing reputation for crafting music that feels cinematic yet personal. But where his earlier works reveled in lust and desire, his latest offering reflects a deeper shift, one shaped by personal clarity, emotional reckoning, and creative evolution. Created largely during a period of sobriety and distance from the chaos of nightlife, Von LaRae’s new era reveals an artist fully in command of his pen, voice, and vision. His music doesn’t just entertain; it invites listeners to inhabit a world where sound and feeling are inseparable.
On June 2, 2025, Von LaRae unveiled “2 Is Company”, his most intimate and expansive body of work to date. The album plays like a curated journey through late-night emotion, private reflection, and quiet seduction. Rooted in pop and R&B but laced with the rhythmic elegance of amapiano, the warmth of afrobeats, the sway of dancehall, the subtle pulse of lo-fi house, and the nostalgia of 90s grooves, “2 Is Company” is a sonic château, each track a different room with its own mood, scent, and color. The rollout itself reflected this vision, with fans treated to an “immersive tasting menu” at the imagined Le Château de Compagnie, where songs were served as individual “dishes,” each offering its own flavor and emotional texture.
Von LaRae describes the project as “grown, sexy, soft, and vulnerable”, a reflection of the joy, pain, love, and messiness that shaped its creation. From the sultry intoxication of “Gimme” to the cinematic sweep of “’87 Firebird” and the emotional ache of “Pictures,” the album thrives in the balance between privacy and exposure, between the whisper in the dark and the beat that pulls you to the dance floor. More than a collection of songs, “2 Is Company” is an invitation into Von LaRae’s most personal chapter, a space where intimacy lingers in the air and every note feels intentional, leaving the listener with the kind of moments they’ll want to replay forever.
2 Is Company Album Track List:
2 Is Company:
“2 Is Company” from Von LaRae’s “2 Is Company” album is a lush, soulful R&B track with a smooth pop vibe, draped in a moody, dreamy, and sensual atmosphere. The production feels like it was designed for late-night listening, warm synth pads flow in slow waves, creating a cushiony foundation that instantly draws the listener in. Trickling guitar phrases glisten delicately in the mix, adding both elegance and a soft melodic anchor, while the steady pulse of the beat provides a hypnotic, almost heartbeat-like rhythm that never overpowers, but instead gently guides the track forward. The vocals rest at the center, carrying a smooth and velvety tone, rich with understated emotion. Smooth background vocals intertwine beautifully with the lead, adding depth and shimmer, while precise doubletracking gives the main vocal an even warmer, fuller presence. Subtle background flourishes, those barely-there sonic whispers, are sprinkled across the mix, adding life to every corner of the arrangement. It’s meticulous without being overproduced, letting the song breathe naturally.
The instrumentation works in perfect harmony to create a vivid sense of place, like stepping into a dimly lit lounge where every sound is bathed in amber light. Beneath the surface, layers of synth textures swell and fade, their airy quality giving the track a gentle dreaminess. The guitars, with their smooth, gliding tones, are played with restraint, never rushing, but instead letting each note ring out and dissolve into the atmospheric haze. Percussion is soft yet intentional, sharp enough to mark the groove, but rounded to keep the track’s sensuality intact. Every instrument seems to understand its role in supporting the emotional narrative, staying in service to the mood rather than fighting for space. This balance between the organic and the electronic, between the guitar’s tactile warmth and the synth’s airy expanses, creates a sound that is both grounded and ethereal.
Emotionally, “2 Is Company” thrives in its intimacy and subtlety. The smooth background vocals are more than just harmonies, they act as a second emotional voice, wrapping around the lead with tenderness and pulling the listener deeper into the track’s quiet allure. The interplay between the vocal layers and the background textures makes the song feel immersive, as though it’s happening all around you rather than in front of you. The moody, late-night sensuality is tangible, achieved not through loud or flashy moments, but through the careful weaving of delicate sounds into a unified whole. Every choice, every guitar note that trails off, every synth swell that fades into the distance, feels intentional, crafted to leave space for the listener to feel the song as much as hear it. By the time the final notes fade, “2 Is Company” leaves behind a lingering glow, like the aftertaste of a conversation you never wanted to end.
87:
“’87 Firebird” from Von LaRae’s “2 Is Company” feels like a late-night road trip sealed in music, a moody, cinematic moment captured in sound. From the first few seconds, a warm, analog glow spills into the mix, instantly pulling you into its nostalgic world. The rhythmic undercurrent moves with the slow, steady confidence of a car gliding through empty streets, the low throb of the percussion acting like the hum of an engine at cruising speed. Smooth, glassy piano phrases weave in and out, each note ringing with a restrained elegance that never rushes, as if savoring the journey. Beneath it all, airy synth pads rise and fall like streetlights passing overhead, their soft shimmer giving the track its dreamlike haze. There’s a sense of intimacy in the way each element sits in the mix, no part trying to dominate, each simply adding to the mood. The result is a soundscape that feels both expansive and deeply personal, like a memory you’re slowly reliving.
The instrumentation here is deliberate and gorgeously layered, painting with texture rather than volume. The percussion is subtle yet purposeful, rounded kicks, faint hi-hat ticks, and gentle shakers that keep the groove moving without disturbing the stillness. The guitar remains a central voice, its tone slightly smoky, almost reflective, with occasional flourishes that break through the haze like glimmers of passing neon. Behind it, soft keyboard swells breathe in the background, never demanding attention but adding a fullness that makes the track feel alive. The vocals in “’87 Firebird” are not the usual lead; they arrive more like accents, moments of color and emotional punctuation rather than a driving force. Smooth and atmospheric, they wash in like passing scenery, adding light and shadow to the instrumental journey. Every phrase is placed with care, leaving space for the instruments to speak as much as the voice does, which makes the track feel more like an emotional vignette than a traditional song.
What makes “’87 Firebird” truly striking is how it balances movement and stillness, forward motion without urgency, a mood that lingers even as it travels. The background textures give the track its cinematic depth, and the absence of a dominating vocal line lets the listener sink fully into the instrumentation, absorbing the details that might otherwise hide in the mix. It’s a song you don’t just hear; you inhabit it, like stepping into a dimly lit scene in a film where the story is told through color, light, and space rather than dialogue. By the time it fades out, you’re left with that warm afterglow, like pulling into a quiet driveway after a night drive you didn’t want to end.
Superpowers:
“Superpowers” by Von LaRae opens with a warm, understated groove that instantly transports you to that golden era of 90s R&B, where the beat is a gentle heartbeat, pulsing with quiet confidence. Smooth drum programming lays down a supple foundation, each kick and snare brushed softly against the soul. Soft, shuffling hi-hats and dusty-sounding percussion spices the rhythm into something magnetic yet cozy, as if inviting you into a private dance. Underneath, subtly blooming synth chords lushly pad the soundscape, their silky tones weaving around each beat with buttery richness. A plucked electric bass slides between notes with supple fluidity, adding a languid bounce that perfectly embodies the track’s playful yet grounded vibe. The instrumentation is at once nostalgic and fresh, its groove a discreet nod to R&B’s vintage shimmer, updated with modern clarity.
What defines “Superpowers” is its devotion to vocal production as an art form. Vocals here play the role of color and play, not the headline, but they shine through with deliberate brilliance. Smooth, layered lead lines, accented with tasteful double-tracking, lend a richness that’s heavenly without feeling overdone. Background vocals dance mischievously in the mix, offering breathy flares, silk-soft ad-libs, and whispered harmonies that elevate every phrase. They don’t just support, they flirt with the lead, call and respond in shadow, and float in and out like sweet afterthoughts. Each layering and inflection feels crafted to showcase vocal charm: occasional doo-wops, subtle harmonies, and flirtatious mini-melismas that serve as accent brushstrokes, adding warmth and depth without ever overcrowding the space. It’s a masterclass in restraint and texture, paying homage to the vocal stylings of classic 90s soul divas, but with a refined modern touch.
At its heart, “Superpowers” is a song that pulses with playful intimacy, a confident whisper of love wrapped in velvet rhythm. There’s a lightness in its swing, the kind that makes your shoulders sway while your spirit floats. It doesn’t scream exhilaration; it winks at you, cool, composed, and self-assured. The track’s charm lies in its details, the breath between the words, the silk in a harmony, the soft echo in a background vocal, and the smooth space left in the mix for emotions to linger. It’s less about showing off and more about sharing a mood, one of graceful confidence, where affection feels effortless and groove feels like second skin. By the time “Superpowers” fades, the listener is left glowing, as though gifted a secret whispered in the twilight, a melody that lingers in the memory like the warmth of a lover’s smile.
Thinkin’ Bout U:
From the very first notes of “Thinkin’ Bout U,” by Von LaRae you’re enveloped in a gauzy haze of emotion, as if stepping into a foggy early-morning memory. The instrumentation unfolds with soft, breathy guitars that hover and drift, like cotton clouds melting into each other, creating a sonic space that feels both spacious and claustrophobic in all the right ways. A gentle drum pattern pulses beneath it, light and tentative, echoing the fluttering heartbeat of someone caught in the liminal space between hope and hesitation. The key here is texture: every sound, from the atmospheric pads to the barely-there percussive elements, feels touched by a fragile warmth, building a landscape where emotion takes shape as atmosphere before it even finds its voice.
Vocally, the track mirrors that restraint and vulnerability. The lead is restrained, offering voice as a soft accent rather than a declaration, weaving in tentative melodies that suggest longing without fully arriving. Sometimes the vocals feel more like echo, like thoughts barely spoken out loud, and they sit lightly atop the music, fragile yet impactful. There’s a lilting melancholy in the way phrases trail off, as if the singer is thinking the words and gathering courage to say them fully. It’s this emotional push-and-pull, reaching toward connection, then pulling back, that gives the performance its raw poignancy: the vocal doesn’t demand attention so much as reveal the weight it carries in its softness.
By the time “Thinkin’ Bout U” fades into the ether, the emotional imprint it leaves is profound and lingering. The song feels like a quiet confession whispered into the night, its cloud-like sonics serving as both frame and echo for the emotional uncertainty it depicts. There’s no clear resolution, no sense that the thoughts are resolved or the longing pacified, but that lack of closure is exactly what gives it power. It’s not a song that comforts; it’s one that holds space, allowing the listener to sit with unresolved tension, romantic questions, and the kind of emotional ambivalence that lingers long after the track ends.
2 Is Company is Von LaRae’s most intimate, genre-blending masterpiece, lush, vulnerable, and unforgettable, leaving emotions echoing long after.
“2 Is Company” stands as Von LaRae’s most refined and emotionally resonant work to date, a seamless blend of genre fluidity, cinematic production, and unguarded storytelling that captures both the intimacy of whispered confessions and the expansiveness of late-night escapes. Across its 15 tracks, the album moves like a carefully plotted journey, each song revealing a new layer of texture, mood, and emotional nuance. Von proves himself a master of crafting moments that feel lived-in and unforgettable. This is not a project to rush through; it’s best experienced in full, uninterrupted, letting the pacing, production details, and thematic arcs reveal themselves naturally. For fans of lush, mood-driven R&B with a contemporary twist, and for anyone seeking music that feels as tactile as it does emotional, “2 Is Company” is essential listening, a record that will linger long after the final note fades, inviting you back for another replay.
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