Dancing Through Turmoil

Welcome back to Finetuned! This rec is going to be some emotional, electro-pop from an all-time fave of mine. This artist brings back so many memories! This week is all about Lights! Truly an exceptional musician, a true artist.

Who Is Lights?

Lights is the stage name of Valerie Anne Poxeliner-Bokan. She is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and visual artist known for her evolution from synth-pop newcomer to a genre-bending creative force. She began her musical journey in the early 2000s, writing songs in her teens and composing for the Canadian TV show Instant Star before launching her solo career. I first learned of her music back in 2011 or so, with the Siberia album release, a banger of a record.

Lights is one of those artistic humans who seemingly can’t help but breathe fresh air that extends beyond her music and is truly accentuated in the very space she exists in, on a consistent basis. There is this very unique air to Lights, in both music video aesthetic (watch this one), but also in the sonic textures she presents in each release. And while being diverse, it feels so quintessentially Lights and electro/synth-pop.

What To Expect Sonically

Expect lots of multi-layered synth, this is electro-pop afterall! Our rec this week, A6, is a warm, retro-inspired synth-pop album that blends dreamy 80s textures with modern intimacy (think inviting, think accessible, also don’t think too hard). You’ll hear analog synths, ambient field recordings, and soft guitar flourishes across the album that flow through the mix, creating such a cool vibe. The sound is immersive but restrained! Lights self-produced and wrote the entire project at home, giving it a cohesive, personal feel. There are a few songs on this record that lend themselves to the sonic journey, covering a few bases of emotion, tracking the ethos of this album as one easily related to. Tracks like “Ghost Girl on First” and “Surface Tension” showcase her subtle darkwave and ambient leanings, while others like “Take It Easy” provide lighter, upbeat moments that we can dance our asses off to.

Lyrically, A6 is probably Lights at her most emotionally candid - plainspoken, raw, and deeply introspective. Rather than a lot of metaphors or artistic liberties lyrically, she opts for blunt, diary-like honesty. She addresses anxiety, self-worth, heartbreak, and personal healing with conversational lyrics that almost feels like we are on a phone call with backing tracks (not to undersell the UNREAL instrumentals on this record). Standout themes and moments include:

• Vulnerability & survival: “This might be the night that I die… so come a little closer”

• Self-awareness & social pressure: “I’m an attention hoe… I better post a picture / So you know I’m alive”

• Empowerment & escapism: Tracks like “Drinks on the Coast” and “Take It Easy” balance the emotional weight

A6 isn’t built for “radio” in my opinion, it's built for headphones. It's intimate, sonically lush, and emotionally unfiltered, offering a raw snapshot of Lights' evolution both as an artist and a person. This is one that you want to dance with the lights (hehe) low with the headphones on, or blast that shit on a night-time drive. Some artists that you could find as related or similar would be CHVRCHES, Grimes, Muna, Ellie Goulding (her older stuff), and maybe even a bit of Maggie Rogers. She has some vocal tendencies like Lana too!

Let The Lights Flicker

If you are looking for something that isn’t too lyrically heady, but is still something you can relate to in a deep, personal way - then check this one out, friend. I see Lights as one of those artists that has had so much impact that it’s sort of hard to quantify, or even qualify, to the fullest extent.

Thanks for reading here, Finetuners! I do hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Finetuned. I’d appreciate any insights, admiration, or otherwise. You can reply to the newsletter directly or DM me on Twitter. (or email me here: [email protected])

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See you all in the next one! 🙌