Lightning Dust Announce New Album ‘Fantasy’ Out 24th June In UK Via Jagjaguwar
Stream First Single ‘Diamond’
Lightning Dust – the duo comprised of Amber Webber and Josh Wells – tends to thrive in the spirit of change. 2007’s self-titled debut was a hushed, intricate folk affair, while 2009’s ‘Infinite Light’ found a middle ground between Suicide and Fleetwood Mac pop. So when they geared up to make the music that would become ‘Fantasy’, the pair were looking for a new sonic stamp.
‘Fantasy’, the new record from Lightning Dust, will be out on Jagjaguwar on 24th in the UK and Europe. The first single from the album, ‘Diamond, premiered at Urban Outfitters yesterday.
Stream the soaring warm synth pop of ‘Diamond’ here:
‘Fantasy’ is full of epic pop music to soundtrack everyone’s summer, and available for pre-order at SC Distribution today. The deluxe bundles also include a limited-edition 7″.
Lightning Dust’s third proper full length finds its inspiration in skeletal synth pop, modern R&B beats, the films of John Carpenter and – in accordance with Lightning Dust’s only longstanding rule – absolute minimalism. The core of Fantasy lies as much in the songwriting as in its sonics, and begins with tools familiar to Webber and Wells: her acoustic guitar and his Wurlitzer piano. They worked to distill the arrangements to just the few key elements that were necessary to make the feel right, and through countless hours of labour in The Balloon Factory – their Vancouver studio – the songs found their way to a sonic palette more squarely electronic than either expected.
The first product of this experiment was ‘Never Again’ which was previously featured on a 7″ in 2011 and now closes the new album. It is a menacing, almost gothic electro-pop churner, marching from an oscillating beat to an anthemic thunderstorm of synth textures. Like many of its cohorts, the song came together slowly: beginning with a barebones acoustic demo and honed through their new sonic prism, ‘Never Again’ became not only a bouncing synth opus but a thesis statement of sorts for ‘Fantasy’.
Knowing now where they were going, the path began to take shape. The duo was keen to use a purely synthetic palette for ‘Fantasy’, but instead of toiling away in front of a computer, Wells armed himself with an MPC 2000 – a cumbersome, outdated machine, but one that proved to be the perfect tool to keep the spirit of absolute minimalism alive in their new musical terrain. The time-honored producer’s weapon of choice became Wells’ entrance to the world of programming, one that empowered him to work by feel alone. Webber, meanwhile, mined the freedom she felt singing along to records as a child, and strove to write vocal melodies and sing with a more extroverted pop sensibility. The hooks are apparent, and Webber sings with a self-assurance that belies the extent to which ‘Fantasy’ marks a new, uncharted sonic space for the band.
By beginning at the end, Lightning Dust has delivered an album that informs their sound in remarkable new ways. ‘Fantasy’ is a hypnotic, exciting record, recklessly new without sacrificing the rich atmosphere that makes Lightning Dust who they are. ‘Loaded Gun’ is a robotic riot grrrl anthem, while ‘Agatha’ stands tall as an ominous lullaby. ‘Fire, Flesh and Bone’ recalls the best cinematic new wave ballads, while acoustic heartbreaker ‘Moon’ makes the rest of the world disappear. And so while Lightning Dust’s destination was never an exact place, ‘Fantasy’ is as vivid a place as you’ve ever imagined.
Previous press praise for ‘Infinite Light’:
“‘Infinite Light’ could be the most pleasant surprise of the year for anyone intrigued by the duo.” Drowned in Sound
“Wells and Webber make a great team. Webber’s vocals are top-notch; her smoky timbre and strained vibrato inevitably getting a Grace Slick comparison. Wells’ keyboard playing is also adept as hell – finding just the right tension and tones on each song from a bag of retro-futurist analog tricks.” Under The Radar
“One of the fiercest, most stirring vocal performances of any release this year… I could easily rustle up praise for every track on the album.” Pitchfork
Buy ‘Infinite Light’ and ‘Lightning Dust’ at Amazon, iTunes and all good UK independent stores.
www.lightningdust.com
www.jagjaguwar.com