We’ve posted this before but we’re not sure how or why we got into Lauren Lakis but we know it was soon after “Fear Of God” was released in late 2020 and that we’ve been fans ever since. Especially with “Sail Away” arriving soon after and ABSOLUTELY hooking us (This is our not so subtle way of saying you should go check those out). Anyway! Lakis is the kind of artist that you revisit after some time away (Like we did when this new record was announced) and ponder why you don’t listen to them ALL THE TIME???
For the unenlightened, Lakis’ brand of Dark Alternative is like Chelsea Wolfe with some levity or Melissa Auf der Maur but darker and on Deadlights, her 3rd LP overall and first for RidingEasy Records, she brings clarity out of emotional chaos and channels grief into grand Rawk opuses.
“There” starts it all off and, like 2023’s A Fiesta and a Hell (And Daughter Language before that), is an enthralling new chapter that retains what’s come before but also manages to greatly expand into new aural areas of greatness. Speaking of greatness, “Heaven Felt Too High” is a shimmering ode to Lakis’ late Mother and is such a shining light that it kind of projects a brightness (Much like a lighthouse would) across all of Deadlights. “I Fall Apart” practically explodes out of “Heaven…” with these wailing guitar lines and rumbling bass tones before once again shedding a light on Lakis’ penchant for conjuring the most hypnotic choruses that are the kind that will effortlessly get lodged in your noodle and rattle around in there for ages. In a good way.
“The Other Side” is a thumping number and the kind of track that we can easily hear where comparisons to Deftones come from especially during the particularly glistening vocal melodies during the chorus while “It’s So Amazing” is the first one on here to let up on the tempo, sinking into that Pj Harvey/Chelsea Wolfe well of soundscapes that Lakis sometimes swims in. The title track crawls out of that and into a murky low end heavy dirge with Lakis’ ebullient vocal delivery acting as a guiding light with “No One’s Around Now” getting its’ Grunge on while still playing in the ethereal pond.
“Love Like A Dog” could be a ’90’s Shoegaze transplant and “I Want You Here” is an airy ditty that plays with soundscapes in the way that Massive Attack did while creating underrated gems like 100th Window. And then there’s “With That Body”, a definitive concluding effort built off of towering punctuated beats and Lakis’ equally haunting and heavenly vocals that build and build until the inevitable decrescendo and spectral sign off.
Deadlights is out through RidingEasy Records now and you can find your copy to have and to hold (Or to stream) by heading here or to the embed below. For more from Lauren Lakis, including a list of upcoming tour dates and more (No Northeast dates on the slate currently, though…), hit the information superhighway and stop off here, here or here.