By Sam Hastings
When 2ŁØT released their debut record last month, they weren’t just putting out an accidental batch of songs, they were inviting listeners into their home, walking them toward the front door as they showcased the emotions that helped build it.
“Entropy” is an exploration of life and its messy in-betweens; a sonic diary that mixes electronic beats with the freeform vibes that jam band music can provide.
“We have been slowly piecing it together for the last two years,” lead singer-songwriter Rudy Love Jr. said about the record. “It’s sort of surreal to have it all finally come together.”
There is pride, and exhaustion, in his voice. After all, “Entropy” didn’t come together easily. It takes time to build each track. But, it’s also a reflection of the journey that led Love and his bandmates across the finish line. It’s personal, but at the same time, you can’t help but connect with it.
“The way that we all started really playing was jamming in a basement,” Love remembers. “That jam part sort of came natural. Just organic. Someone starts playing some chords. I’ll start singing something. We all shared a passion for electronic music.”
But it was at a Rüfüs Du Sol concert that everything started to click. “We just were mesmerized by the soundscaping and the big dance atmosphere and the way that the crowd swayed,” Love said. “We also have band members that are really into Phish and String Cheese Incident.”
So, with all their influences intact, the band created what they call EJM, or electronic jam music. “We figured electronic jam music was the perfect way for us to fuse it [their influences] with jazz and soul and hip hop and funk and dance,” Love said.
Hence why the sound of “Entropy” is hard to pin down. But, that’s just what 2ŁØT were going for. Love said that electronic jam music gave him a reason to not have to be “pigeonholed into R&B and soul writing.”
“I also want to write about self-reflection and actualization,” Love said. “Loss and pain. That type of thing.”
The result of having great songwriting and excellent musicianship within 2ŁØT creates a sound that’s split between catharsis and celebration, almost like a musical snapshot of the band’s experiences over the last couple of years. “We were all going through very difficult times,” Love said while reminiscing on how the band started. “A lot of us were pondering giving up. Letting life do what it wanted to with us.”
In the midst, their hardships were solved through music. “Playing music together sort of challenged us and put us in a place where we wanted to overcome the difficulties we were facing,” Love said. “And we thought, ‘Man, that’s a great way to do it with music.’”
The title “Entropy” is a nod to the scientific concept of entropy: the idea that everything tends toward chaos, becoming corrupted and decaying over time. But it’s not all doom and gloom, at least for 2ŁØT. Love said, “If you get up, go for a walk, work out, work your brain, you’re sort of slowing that process of decay.
“Nothing is permanent, but while we’re here, we’re gonna do what we can for ourselves and for the people we love,” Love said. “Hopefully, that message sort of reaches a larger audience, and they do the same or do more of what they’ve been doing.”
This concept explains why a couple of letters in the name 2ŁØT are sliced through. “We wanted to slash it all out to try to resist it [entropy] and try to get through it as much as possible,” Love explained. “It stands for resisting entropy. It’s all sort of tied together.”
But once they figured out what the music would represent, the concept of entropy took on a whole new ethos.
“We sort of decided to put our first album completely dedicated to what the meaning of the group is,” Love said. “We’re a band, but we also believe in specific causes like criminal justice and fighting against extreme poverty and addiction and mental health. We just wanted to partner with as many organizations that are fighting for the causes we believe in, but also just wanna have fun playing music and, you know, play for as many people as we can.”
While “Entropy” is a deeply personal record, it wouldn’t be what it is without some incredible collaborations.
Michael Kang of The String Cheese Incident played electric mandolin on track six, “Arrow of Time,” a song which is, to no surprise, one of Love’s favorites.
“That was one of the moments where we found, really, this kind of special space and where we were all leaning into our strengths as creators, and we found a really good blend,” Love said. “It doesn’t hurt that we had, you know, Chase [guitarist for 2ŁØT] playing monster guitar on that, but we also had Michael Kang.”
But it’s not just about having big-name musicians on the record — it’s about the spirit of community.
Love said that the band has gotten to jam with Kang and other members of The String Cheese Incident live on several occasions. He said, “We played a set right before, and then they played their show.
“On the first night, we had Jason Hahn [percussionist for The String Cheese Incident] sit in with us. The second night, we had Michael Kang. I can’t tell you how cool it is. One of the most amazing experiences. It doesn’t matter how successful you are. If you love music, you know, you’ll go to the bar after you play the four-hour show and keep jamming. I can’t deny that it sort of gave us a whole bunch of juice in the jam world where people can go like ‘Well, if they jammed with Kang, they gotta be doing something.’ He lent his credit to us, and I’m rather grateful to him for it.”
As for what’s next, 2ŁØT are already thinking about their next record. “We’re collaborating a lot more, so you can expect some pretty cool features,” Love said. “We’ve done work with Aloe Blacc. We’re currently working on something special with him. We’re probably gonna go pretty micro with the next one. I think that where we’re moving with the next project is sort of diving really deep into the jam band world.”
If one thing is clear, 2ŁØT are not just interested in creating music, they are looking to build a community. “I think we’re just hoping to find our tribe,” Love said. “If we could do anything, it would be to just have 10 fans that were as loyal to us as the Phish fans are loyal to them.”
As the group prepares for a big 2025, Love will hold each band member responsible as a stop in Knoxville is potentially on the horizon. “I’m gonna tell the band that if we don’t stop by Knoxville, we’re doing a disservice to ourselves.”
“Entropy” is now available on all music streaming services. Head to 2lot.com to learn more about the band and its individual members.