It’s a known fact that Brooklyn is a melting pot of cutting-edge culture. Emerging from this primordial stew of cool is spanking new outfit Restless People, an eclectic pop quartet composed of the best of the borough’s rising talent. Consisting of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm of tropical-infused dance outfit Tanlines, and Professor Murder’s Michael Bell-Smith and Tony Plunkett, the resulting sonic amalgamation is pop-centric world beat that’s infectious to say the least. Frenetically dance-worthy but still grounded in earthy percussion and anthemic lyrics, this Brooklyn foursome’s self-titled debut is guaranteed to be on perennial heavy rotation in all the hip hangouts. GrandLife recently caught up with Restless People to discuss the band’s unique sonic point of view, band dynamics, and the power of nostalgia.

A decidedly tropical element effortlessly bleeds into both Tanlines and Restless People. What inspired you to gravitate to this particular sound and sonic point of view?

Restless People: Tropical is kind of a weird term in music these days—it doesn’t seem to really refer to “the tropics” or a specific cultural heritage, but certain types of rhythms and sonic palettes. In our music, it might be from UK funky, or ’90s dancehall, or post-2 Tone new wave —I think it’s just something we respond to in terms of a certain kind of energy. We also gravitate to things that have a universal quality—a lot of those elements are just the sound of contemporary pop.

As a child of the 1980s who spent my formative musical years in the ’90s I can detect a number of familiar sounds in Restless People that bring me back nostalgically without being too literal. What has helped to inform the Restless People sound, and how does it continue to grow and expand?

Restless People: Most bands traffic in nostalgia to some degree or another, but with Restless People, we consciously opened the door to some areas we might not normally go. It’s like playing conspiracy theory, coming up with alternate histories tying Johnny Marr to Andre 3000. Or Marvel “What if” comics where we try to bring things together in ways that may seem absurd, but ultimately fit together.

How did you get your start in music? If you weren’t making music what do you think you’d be doing?

Restless People: All of us have been making music since we were in our teens. At the same time, we also are all doing other things. It’s important to us that music is an extension of certain set of interests and ideals, not a separate thing.

Restless People sound like a successful pastiche of different musical perspectives. What is the songwriting process like with so many different sonic cooks in the kitchen?

Restless People: We tell lots of jokes and argue a lot, and sometimes the four of us spend an hour sitting behind a monitor scrolling through snare samples.

How would you describe Restless People to someone who’s never heard you?

Restless People: Pop music.

What do you think sets Restless People apart from other bands out now?

Restless People: For us, music isn’t about trying to carve out a niche and make a singular statement, as much as it’s about participating in a larger cultural conversation.  So I’m not sure it’s important to us what’s different or that we’re even different at all.  At the end of the day, we just want to be true to what we’re trying to put out there. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we can push things forward an inch and write some good songs along the way.