Back in 2017 Lights released her fourth album Skin&Earth and since then has undertaken a variety of musical adventures. Now she has returned to release an acoustic take on the album with the tracks recorded in their corresponding locations alongside three new tracks. We love artists who aren’t afraid to try something new with their sound so we couldn’t wait to check out Skin&Earth Acoustic and here’s what we thought of the release!
Opening track Skydiving has the natural outdoor sound in the background which make you feel as if you’re just waiting to leap into a new world which happens to be this album. Lights effortlessly beautiful vocals are highlighted from the onset twinkling across delicate pop-tones which are reminiscent of an Ellie Goulding track. Guitar focussed Until The Light has a consistent guitar slap which once you brain picks it out you’ll be there tapping along to it unable to forget that you’ve heard this part of the track. Lights reimagination of these tracks has created a completely new work of music showing off her musical versatility whilst allowing fans to imagine her setting up a little mini-studio in a truck cab to record this track. When we first heard Savage we instantly fell in love with this fiery, angsty filled track with the biggest chorus on the release. The backing vocals on this chorus pack a punch as you feel as if this is being aimed at that person who decided to mess you around and wonder ‘I never knew you could be so savage’.
New Fears is the strongest offering on the release so far and becomes the stand out moment thanks to Lights raspy vocals, slapping guitar lines and the country twang this track gives off. As we work through this release it becomes apparent just how special this album really is, on We Were Here (tunnel recording) there’s a haunting atmosphere created from the start. This darker track steps away from the upbeat pop which Lights has become associated with but provides a moment of atmospheric theatre on the release which is well due and loved. There’s something effortlessly beautiful about an already great track re-recorded in a gorgeous location and Kicks is an example of this. Compared to the original version of this track it’s near impossible to tell these are both the same track as both the only thing which remains the same is the lyrics and this is just why we love this track a little more every time we listen to it. The final reworked track on the release is Almost Had Me, stepping away from the big beats and bass of the original the sincerity and sheer beauty remains here. Singing of when someone begins to let you down ‘did you know what cost when you broke your promise’ you can sense the heartbreak within her vocals, the vulnerability and honestly it almost had me in tears.
Three new tracks feature on the release the first of which is Tabs which sees Lights typical guitar supported sound shine as her vocals taken centre stage once again. The repetition of the guitar melody will get stuck in your head but let’s be honest this is never a bad thing! Lost Girls has become a new fan favourite since fans were first given the track as a taster ahead of the album, we can’t help but want to head out on an adventure and become one of the lost girls forgetting about the negativity surrounding us. We love a bit of girl power and this is the Skin&Earth take on that. Closing track Down Forever takes the release back to a sombre direction with another acoustic take, singing of finding hope and remembering ‘don’t be so hard on yourself’. As the track heads to a close it begins to come into its own as the higher notes as brought to play, with twinkling lines, dual vocals from Lights and a stunning ending is created.
We love this new, refreshing take on Skin&Earth and in particular, the effort Lights has gone to record in different locations from the cliff to the desert as it’s refreshing to see an artist truly dedicated to her art. There’s no sign of slowing down for Lights with it recently announced that there is to be a TV version of the Skin&Earth comic book series, find out more about her future plans in our chat with her from Slam Dunk Festival here.
What’s your favourite track from Skin&Earth Acoustic? Tweet us @CelebMix and let us know!