Emotional moments are Jean-Philip Grobler’s specialty. Under the name St. Lucia, he crafts the kind of high-energy, artful pop that tugs at the heartstrings as it pulls you onto the dance floor. Matter, his second full-length release, grapples with themes of getting older while battling insecurity and self-doubt. In addition to electric guitar and explosive percussion parts, nearly every track on the album contains horns and multi-part vocal arrangements whose sophistication reflects Grobler’s lifetime of music study. Columbia Records (columbiarecords.com). —Troy Carrington
