NEW ALBUM: LIGHTS | PEP

Canadian singer-songwriter Lights has released her highly-anticipated sixth studio album entitled "PEP." During the pandemic, she experienced darkness and making "PEP" provided the roadmap back. Lights have often reinvented herself in both image and sound throughout her catalogue, and her fifth studio effort is a complete portrait of the singer to date. These 13 tracks fill the spectrum from moody and introspective to sarcastic and fun and everywhere in between. Lights also got a little help from friends with a handful of well-placed cameos throughout the record. PEP excels in Lights’ vocal nuance, making effective use of both the quiet and the loud. Lights call on Kiesza for the electro-pop rhythms of “Money in the Bag.” Both singers’ voices compliment each other nicely on the dynamic heist-themed track. It rises and falls from pulsing verses to the floor-rumbling half-time chorus, and it’s one of the record's highlights. " Jaws " feels like a Siberia-era synth ballad as the singer bares her figurative teeth lyrically. The pace slows down for the spacious ballad “Rent” as the chorus hook is quick and smart. Things do turn on the bouncy “Sparky,” which bounces between a quiet and spacey verse and a strong chorus. Poxleitner-Bokan then plays it cool on rhythmic, synth-soaked romp “Easy Money,” with the singer’s vocals doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. “Okay Okay” taps into an indie rock identity with an upbeat guitar-based track that plays off synth accompaniment. "PEP" achieves its stated mission of “breaking the algorithm.” Lights Poxleitner-Bokan sounds more assured and confident in her songwriter abilities.