The Album:

After their summer tour, LANY announced that that tour would mark the end of the “rose” era, which was driven by their previous album “LANY” (released in June of 2017). Therefore, when they announced this, fans were going crazy because they had an inkling that new music was to come, and when LANY announced this album the masses went wild, and they did so for good reasons. This album screams the LANY traditional sound with a slight evolutionary twist, which elevates the record all the more. Diving into the album, musically speaking, the band allows the vocal line to take the lead throughout every track. This is possible due to the simple texture that is provided through electronics and the instrumentalists. Having a light instrumentation gives the audience the opportunity to connect to the gentle nature of the vocalist’s vocal timbre through the lyrically dense melodic lines. Additional to this, the band includes moments of vocal isolation through strategic silence. This is an interesting musical nuance to throw into the album makeup, for it provides a major sense of juxtaposition across the board for the record, since the lyrics occurring in those moments pop compared to the ones that have instrumental accompaniment. This gives the illusion of having more instrumentation to the audience while still retaining their traditional make solid. Another major aspect of this album that jumps out to the listeners is the gentle nature of every selection that made the cut. After looking at music from their previous their previous releases, it wasn’t surprising that LANY gave audience members an album that drove on a relaxed groove that just glimmered and glistened. However, this album differs from their previous releases in regards to how refined the vocal line meshes with the instrumentation that was discussed earlier. This better ratio of the two gives the listeners the perfect amount of each part of the musical whole to ride the band’s aura throughout the entire work. Overall, I am giving this album a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I landed on this score because this record drives the characteristic LANY sound, so it was bound to be successful from the first downbeat. Additionally, this album ranks so highly, for it gives the listeners another album to just relax with, and there aren’t many records being released now-a-days that pull that effect off without being overly generic.

Top Tracks:

“Thick and Thin”, “I Don’t Wanna Love You Anymore”, and “Thru These Tears”

All of the tracks that occur on this album hold the true LANY characteristic style, which is what makes this album so successful from the forefront. Therefore, when trying to pick the songs that stand out against the pack, hard decisions had to be made. These tracks break through that barrier, for not only do they give audience members the authentic LANY sound; also, they are filled with hard-hitting lyrical content that marries beautifully when the instrumentals that surround it- making these the “musts” of the record.

The Artwork:

When first glancing at this album cover, the viewer may become entranced, for the colors that hombre on the cover provide a visual sensation that provides a sense of ease. With that being said, it isn’t a surprise that this cover art is aesthetically pleasing due to its modern, simplistic nature. When comparing the cover art of the record to the music on the inside, it can be said that the two are a perfect match. As one listens to the album from front to back, it is heard that the band takes the audience on a journey that rides a relaxed vibe, which places the audience in a state of relaxation while talking about some positive and some negative emotions. This relates to the cover art through the aura that occurs from viewing the imagine head on. Also, when looking at the color scheme of the album artwork, it is seen that this too connects to the musical content. On the cover of the album, the primary colors are pink and red. In general terms, the color pink represents a light, nice, and pleasant feeling or person, and the color red represents intense emotion. Both of these routes are experienced lyrically and musically throughout this album as one paves their way through the entire record. Furthermore, after looking in depth at the music and the artwork on the cover, it is easily said that the cover art enhances the success of this record as a whole.

*”Malibu Nights” was released on October 5, 2018 through Side Street Entertainment LLC.