When releasing new music there is always this fine line between evolving sound and losing the heart of the project. When you loved the last album an artist put out, there is a certain amount of fear that you suddenly feel at the announcement of new music. Will it live up to the artist’s standards that they have set for themselves?
In a very fitting start to the new year, it seems that Lane 8 has done just that. He has debuted another masterpiece, Reviver. His new album is a piece of work that can only describe as being transcendentally reflective. The sum is more than its parts, which is insane because each individual track has so much value and unique definition that to think all of them coming together would create something exponentially amazing is phenomenal. Very Porter Robinson-esqe in a way; it’s so similarly filled with life. He seems to be leaning into a style that includes more Trance elements in it and we are not complaining at all. Here are a few of our favorite gems from Reviver by Lane 8…
“Survive” is a perfect starter song to the album. It’s the gasp of air you take before diving into the water. Filled to the brim with air and plunging deeper and deeper. Channy Leaneagh‘s vocals are bright and exciting, they start out at the centerpiece for the beginning of the song before being overwhelmed by the instrumental in submersion of musical joy. “Watermelon Wormhole” is the type of song that you hear live and burst into tears underneath the soundwaves. Look around at all those people you care about. It is the feeling of being at a show with your closest humans, bottled into a single track. A trance love song to the world, that washes over you like a wave; 6 minutes of pure bliss.
Take the plunge into Lane 8’s world…
Bringing the absolute musical gem that is Emmit Fenn onto the song “Red Lights” is a phenomenal listening experience. This is my personal favorite from the album. The sultry vocals add a layer of emotion that just hits directly at the heart. An absolute classic house jam. The melody lifting you high above itself, the beat carrying you far away. With a dark and dangerous beat, “Nuclear Lethargy” gets down and dirty. Another one of his longer tracks, it’s so absolutely satisfying to the ears. Not too much and not too little, just right. As the album begins to close out, “Closer” is the track that will bolster you to the end. There is so much grace in the simplicity of this song. He ends his album with a euphoric feeling of being alive.
Feeling Revived Yet?
The details that Lane 8 puts into his sound, show the care for his craft that permeates everything he releases. He has gone above and beyond where he went with Brightest Lights. The way he weaves his own creativity into music to almost tell a story is pushing the house genre ever forward. We are in great hands with Lane 8, he will carry us all the way to house music heaven. The work that his label This Never Happened puts into keeping the music scene intimate and personal goes a long way. The appreciation, respect, and awe we hold for Lane 8 continue to grow as he evolves, his dedication to music drives us to be better, to feel better, in all kinds of ways. Reviver brings a reenergizing experience that you should be sure not to miss.
Listen to the entirety of Reviver by Lane 8 below!
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