54 Ultra: one night at Electric Lady
Clairo produced 54 Ultra's new single in a single night at Electric Lady, cut straight to tape and aimed at the sound of late '70s pop.
BY JOLT Staff · NOV 14 2026 · 1 min read'Honeymoon' is a late-'70s pop song made in 2026, out November 13, and it does not sound like a costume. 54 Ultra is the moniker of New Jersey songwriter and producer JohnAnthony Rodriguez. The track is a smooth, synthy three minutes with a Latin soul inflection.
First Works, his debut EP, arrived in 2025 and attention has gathered since. He calls 'Honeymoon' 'a beautiful step in a new direction for me while still being familiar.'
“I even bought a Yamaha CP70 for this song to make sure I got the sound exactly where I wanted it to be. To me, it's a perfect backdrop to the changing seasons into the end of the year.”
Clairo wrote and produced it with Paul Cherry, Eddie Burns and William Corduroy. Rodriguez cut it in one night at Electric Lady Studios in New York, straight to analog tape, on mostly vintage equipment. He bought a Yamaha CP70 for this song alone, which tells you where he wanted the weight.
It runs 3:08 and does not try to do anything else. Synths carry the frame, the Latin soul shading sits inside it, and the CP70 is where he aimed the sound. He was after late '70s smoky pop, and he calls the track a backdrop to the change of seasons into year's end.
It is for anyone who keeps Clairo's softer records close, or who wants three warm minutes as the year ends.
What it cannot do is prove the direction. One song, three minutes, and the vintage framing carries more of its identity than the writing does. Tape and a CP70 buy a texture, not a hook, and there is not enough here to say which one you are hearing.
Tour dates run through March, with shows in Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, France and Australia. 'Honeymoon' is well made, it does what it set out to do, and that is a 3.5: good, still a promise. The second song settles it.
