Lauren Lakis maps the arc of grief in the shattering glow of 'Deadlights'
Multidisciplinary artist Lauren Lakis has channeled the entirety of herself into her latest LP, Deadlights, a luminous expression of resilience forged in the crucible of life’s unpredictability and draped in tapestries of emotion that dress the cold marble of heart-wrenching loss with stirring beauty and uncompromising depth.
On the surface, Deadlights is an album about the unbearable weight of sadness and the untethered sensation that follows in the wake of a passing. But delving deeper finds Lakis offering so much more, candid expressions of vulnerability and unwavering courage that speak directly to the human spirit with inspiring authenticity and impressive skills. There is a tangible structure to the album, composed in a graceful arc that progresses through the stages of grief from the initial crackle of shock and anger, through the depths of anger and depression, to emerge at last into the light of acceptance a stronger person at peace with the nature of a reality irrevocably shifted. Mantras of resolve mingle with confessional prose embedded within compositions that effectively capture the disconnected, tidal physicality of shoegaze conventions, shot through with revelatory moments of crystalline post-punk and crushingly doomed distortion that lend accent and emphasis to Lakis’ downward spiral and ultimate redemption from the depth of the abyss.
Lakis sets the stage with “There,” basking in the fading glow of a setting sun, a moment of warmth and peace, finite in its progression toward darkness, but imbued with a childlike sense of comfort found in memories of a parent’s loving embrace. Turbulent rhythms and spiky guitar lines hint at the anger growing within and the feelings of helplessness that accumulate when faced with the inevitable, before exploding with kaleidoscopic brilliance on “Heaven Felt Too High.” Thick, rubbery basslines and prismatic melodies swirl amidst incandescent clouds of billowing emotion carried aloft by a soaring, repetitive hook striving on wax wings for the touch of unreachable salvation. “I Fall Apart” stands with defiance on a driving rhythm and a chiming guitar lead, shifting gears into a more defined narrative structure that highlights Lakis’ natural ability to dovetail impactful songwriting with engaging composition, weaving her story among towering pillars of sound with the vibrancy of windswept silk, tying together elements of alt-rock churn, jagged post-punk, and atmospheric shoegaze to grand effect.
Deadlights takes an abrupt turn into “The Other Side,” unleashing a dark and overpowering wall of grunge, replete with a blitzkrieg of fuzz and distortion that sways and staggers with disorienting weight. The track has a commanding presence as Lakis embraces anger with a defiantly individualistic stance, wrestling control away from the cold grip of a destiny defined by the unfeeling whims of fate. Once the adrenaline fades, Lakis slows things down with the somnambulist, intoxicated swirl of “It’s So Amazing,” a comedown moment that embraces the vulnerability that exists behind a façade of brash fortitude. The mask removed at last, Lakis pivots once again on the title track, “Deadlights,” her voice echoing from behind a dense wall of jaggedly atmospheric instrumentation, reaching out for a connection that evaporates into ether just beyond outstretched fingertips. A discordant solo strikes with the uneasy, full-body sensation of tears welling in the corners of eyes - this is the breaking point that clears the way for progression towards meaningful acceptance.
Tinted with umbral sentiments, “No One’s Around Now” gathers forward momentum with a driving motorik rhythm that unfolds like a stretch of open pavement in the desert twilight, beckoning with tenderness towards a new path as Lakis finds the strength to take the first solitary steps on a new personal journey, beginning with the liturgical procession of “Love Like A Dog.” Post-punk guitar and downtuned strings move with a funerary cadence, draped in mourning shrouds beneath a canopy of dark leaves pierced by heavenly rays of sunlight like Morse code from the other side, climbing towards conclusion on the wings of an ethereal chorus resplendent in the textural tranquility of love’s enduring presence. The closing moments of “I Want You Here” and “With That Body” are transformative, built upon mechanical beats and angular rhythms introducing industrial elements that flood the vacuum of absence with a sense of overpowering catharsis, baptizing the broken landscape with a deluge of emotion and clearing the way for liquid stillness, deep and expansive, fading into palpitations of a radiant heart haunted but enduring in the black.
Deadlights is available now on limited vinyl and CD via Riding Easy Records. Stream the album on Spotify and follow Lauren Lakis on Instagram.
Upcoming Shows
MAY 26 - Waterloo Records - Austin, TX - FREE SHOW
MAY 27 - Stable Hall - San Antonio, TX - TICKETS
MAY 28 - Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX - TICKETS
MAY 29 - Hotel Vegas - Austin, TX - TICKETS
MAY 30 - Wonky Power - Houston, TX - TICKETS
JUN 03 - Mood Ring Records - South Salt Lake, UT - TICKETS
JUN 05 - Six Below Midnight - Portland, OR - TICKETS
JUN 06 - Central Saloon - Seattle, WA - TICKETS
JUN 07 - Wild Child - Olympia, WA - TICKETS
JUN 10 - Knockout - San Francisco, CA - TICKETS
JUN 11 - The Sardine - San Pedro, CA - TICKETS
JUN 12 - Permanent Records Roadhouse - Los Angeles, CA - TICKETS
JUN 13 - Pour House - Oceanside, CA - TICKETS