BØRNS/Charlotte Cardin/Mikky Ekko

Singer-songwriter BØRNS (Garrett Borns) drew upon acts such as Electric Light Orchestra and the Bee Gees for his major label debut, 2016’s Dopamine. For the just-released Blue Madonna, he channels more ’70s music and cites acts such as David Bowie and T. Rex as influences and he took an unconventional approach to recording the album. As a result, it sounds both retro and contemporary. “I think after touring for over two years on my first record, I knew there was a lot more I wanted to explore in the realm of songwriting,” he says in a recent phone interview. “I was experimenting a lot. I tried different production on stuff and mixed different formats. I would mix iPhone recordings with cassette tape recordings and high digital recordings. It’s a mashup of all these eras of different recordings, if you like.” He mostly wrote the tunes at his friend Tommy English’s L.A. studio, a place he describes as a small room with some synths and a drum set. The lead single, “God Save Our Young Blood,” features an appearance by pop diva Lana Del Rey, who provides some sultry vocals. “Lana and I have been talking for a while about doing something together,” he says. “I was working with her sister, who’s an amazing photographer. Lana just heard some of the music I was working on and liked that song and we got in the studio and it was pretty natural. She brings a nostalgia and a sort of sensuality in her voice. There’s something very beautiful and sad in her voice. It makes you listen to the words differently. She’s amazing.” Del Rey won’t be on hand for tonight’s show but you can bet the track will still find its way into the set list. (Niesel)