MP3: Lightouts – “My My”

Esquire Premieres Jangle-Fuzz Track From Brooklyn Rockers Lightouts’ New Double A-Side

01.29.2014

Critical Praise for Lightouts:

Named one of SPIN’s 2012 CMJ “Next Big Things” & 2013 SXSW “Hottest Acts”

“Lightouts …are enthusiastic singles makers, which suits the snappy, punk-fortified jangle-pop that they specialize in.” – Esquire

“…one of the better white guys-with-guitars songs I’ve heard in a while.” – Death and Taxes

“Melding Sonic Youth’s mangled guitars and monotonic vocal sensibilities with a taut and measured rhythm section, these Brooklynites manage to tap into an ever-expanding history of blown-out guitar rock and laconic vocals without feeling like a rehashing of rock’n’roll’s recent past.” – Colin Joyce, SPIN

10/10 star review: “The great thing about Want is how different it sounds from everything and not in a reactionary sort of way… They aren’t trying to sound original or better than the rest of the bands coming out of Brooklyn, they just are. Essentially Want is the kind of album that rock music was invented for.” – Tim Baker, SYFFAL

“Lightouts have the presence and experience to be something HUGE.” – LX-GOODS

The Song:

If 2013 was any indication, soon we’ll be hearing more than a little buzz about Brooklyn rockers Lightouts. After being named one of SPIN’s SXSW “Hottest Acts” of 2013, the band’s debut album Want charted on the CMJ indie rock charts. Lightouts’ new track “My My” reminds us what all the fuss is about. A driving bassline anchors guitarist Gavin Rhodes‘s jangly chords, which give way to a tension-building fuzzy riff as the verse pushes forward. The whole band lands together on explosive hits in the chorus as singer Greg Nelson lets forth staccato bursts of impassioned cheer.

Bass player Dean Perry comments on the group’s songwriting process: “Bass-wise, most of my work was actually done ahead of time by Gavin by writing a stellar, catchy line over the main sections of the song. I wanted to contribute from an arrangement standpoint and I think we collectively came to a really well-structured song. Sometimes simplicity is superior.”

“My My,” which was premiered by Esquire today, along with “Disappear,” which recently premiered on Death and Taxes, comes from a new double A-side that features artwork from Los Angeles photographer Jason Knight. While the band is currently featured in iTunes New & Noteworthy releases, Lightouts also appear on Twitter Music‘s homepage in anticipation of their headlining performance at Brooklyn’s Union Hall on 1/31.

Listen to “My My”: https://soundcloud.com/lightouts/my-my

Check out the Esquire premiere: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/lightouts-my-my

Buy Lightouts’ double single on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/disappear-my-my-single/id765793142

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Please contact Michelle if interested in talking with Lightouts.

Lightouts Background:

Lightouts founder Gavin Rhodes started with a simple question: “Robert Smith/Emily Haines, where are you?” But this appeal to fans of The Cure and Metric didn’t appear on Craigslist or in The Village Voice. The flyer was posted near the less-than-picturesque Gowanus Canal. Greg Nelson, a veteran of the NYC music scene, responded to the ad and the rest, as they say, is history. The group exhibit a rare musical and stylistic cohesion: structured bass lines, waves of fuzzed out guitars and vaporous vocals put a new spin on the moody post-punk aesthetic of bands like Joy Division and Smashing Pumpkins circa Siamese Dream. In the past two years, the Gowanus band has released a series of singles that featured both an A-side and two B-sides, which allowed the band to offer up songs complemented by experimentation and deep-cut covers. The band’s debut album, Want, was released earlier this year.