Albums: Bright Light Bright Light Enjoy Youth

Bright Light Bright Light Enjoy Youth

You Want My…; Snap (ft. Berri); Revived; Every Emotion (ft. Ultra Nate); Boys Etc.; Heartslap (ft. Mykal Kilgore); Sweet Release; Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do; Down To One; Sweetest Waste; Keep; Enjoy Youth (ft. Beth Hirsch)

Label: YSKWN

Bright Light Bright Light is about to unveil (pop) album #5 (let’s not forget his stunning contemporary classical body of work). The Welsh singer/songwriter has steadily built his reputation as one of the world’s leading independent purveyors of playful pop music.

Drawing inspiration from his love of 80s and 90s sounds, his four (pop) studio albums to date have shown that he can lean on his love for an era without ever sounding dated. Having worked with Sir Elton John, Jake Shears and Alan Cumming on record, while touring alongside Erasure and Cher, he deserves household name status – can that be achieved with the long-awaited Enjoy Youth?

Enjoy Youth is the product of an artist who is fully comfortable in his own skin and who has engaged ‘sexy’ mode in the studio. A natural growth sonically from his back catalogue, this is Bright Light Bright Light at his most playful. From the saucier imagery to cheekier lyrics, Bright Light Bright Light is enjoying the creative process and showing a different side to his personality.

Big name collaborations are also the flavour of the day. Having built his sound on the 90s soundscape, teaming up with Berri, Beth Hirsch and Ultra Nate is a clever move, while his former collaborator and upcoming tour mate Mykal Kilgore also makes a fleeting appearance.

With all the ingredients pointing towards HIT!, does the album itself deliver? Enjoy Youth is a truly liberating, fully engaging and fresh feeling record. It is one that is designed to make you move and to make your heart beat a little faster. It does this faultlessly from start to finish.

While there is no doubt that the Mykal Kilgore featuring Heartslap deserves to be one of the biggest radio hits of the year, the cheeky You Want My… and the lush former single Sweet Release are destined to becoming Pride classics.

Enjoy Youth does exactly what the title says it will. Turn it up loud and let loose. Enjoy the moment.