Profiling Spring Weekend Guest "Louis The Child"

AMANDA LUNDERGAN ’18
STAFF WRITER

Rising artist Louis the  Child will headline Barnyard Entertainment’s Spring Weekend 2017.
Having just recently released a 6 song EP “Love Is Alive” on March 24, the two artists in Louis the Child have been making a name for themselves across the country, and have been performing at colleges and venues. College-age artists Robert Hauldren, 20, and Frederic Kennett, 19, make up the electronic pop, “future bass” music duo. Based out of Chicago, “Louis the Child” is a new project receiving attention for their self-described “happy” sound. After opening for The Chainsmokers and Madeon, these two have taken on Coachella, Governor’s Ball, Electric Forest Festival, Electric Zoo, and Lollapalooza. The band will go on to play Bonnaroo and Spring Awakening in June. Hauldren attended USC as a freshman last year and then dropped out to pursue their expanding career in music, while Kennett just finished up high school. The band may consist of very young artists, but what they lack in years, they make up for in style and musical talent.
Hauldren and Kennett attended New Trier High School together but didn’t end up actually meeting until being introduced at a Madeon concert by mutual friends. Realizing their shared passion for DJing, the two decided to start working on music production together.  Hauldren told The Daily Trojan in an interview that their name came as a result of hitting the random article button on Wikipedia a few times. Hauldren broke into the music world making mashups under the name Haul Pass around 2011, while Kennett produced briefly under the name Fatboy while he was in high school. In an interview with The Desert Sun, the duo shared their goals in music:
“We’ve always wanted to reach the most ears with our music as possible. We’re doing a ton of work on music in different genres and plan on creating music forever. Music production is so endless and versatile, we’re always exploring new ways of doing things and trying to push our own boundaries.” They have four singles, along with two EPS: “Dimensions” and “Love is Alive.”
Their big break came from the well-known hit “It’s Strange,” featuring K.Flay. “It’s Strange” has over 5 million plays on both Spotify and Soundcloud, and was listed by Taylor Swift’s as one of her favorite songs.  They started off by remixing songs by Oh Wonder, Bombay Bicycle Club, Ty Dolla Sign, and Miike Snow. After their remixes blew up on Soundcloud, they took to making their own unique sound with “It’s Strange.” The synthesized sound paired with harmonious and soft vocals reminds one of Flume.  Described by the music forum Earmilk as “infectious,” “It’s Strange” has had an overwhelmingly popular reaction in the music industry. The song keeps up with EDM energy, but places an emphasis on warm, fuzzy feelings:
“It’s strange / But I don’t need space from you / And every single thing you do / I like / I’ve been chased / Maybe I just knew I had to wait for you / Draw a knife and carve a little space for you / It feels nice.” Louis the Child makes love seem easy. “It’s Strange” will make you want to smile from ear to ear, but also throw your hands up in the air and possibly, if you’re into it, do a little shuffle. Another popular dance-pop song of theirs is “Weekend,” featuring Icona Pop. “Weekend” would make an appropriate choice as one of Trinity’s anthems. “Got work to do tomorrow / I’m not sleeping / Treating weekdays like the weekend / We’ve been treating weekdays like the weekend / Pop a couple bottles for no reason” I’ll let you read the rest of the lyrics on your own.  With Trinity’s “work hard, play hard” personality, “Weekend” is guaranteed to get the crowd going at the spring weekend concert.
“Fire” comes in at one of Louis the Child’s other hit creations. Featuring Evalyn, “Fire” has a chill and laid-back sensation just like “It’s Strange” and “Weekend.” In general, Louis the Child has a calmer attitude toward electronic music. “Fire” highlights that spectacularly. Louis the Child’s musical influences include ODESZA, James Blake, Robert Glasper, Flume, Mr. Carmack, Mat Zo, Madeon, Porter Robinson, and Cashmere Cat.
Chicago Tribune in late 2016 said the band is on “a roller coaster of fame.” Hauldren told the Tribune that they wish to “make the music you’re gonna play to your kids, songs that are going to become the soundtrack of your life.” Hauldren and Kennett want to create music that makes people happy.
Louis the Child is a good-vibes and playful choice for spring weekend. Check them out before they hit Trinity at louisthechild.com.