By Keith Walsh
In a flex of digital power, Blaklight released a danceable new single on the eve of what’s supposed to be the brightest and cheeriest of holidays.
‘BlakChristmas’ is an EDM-influenced tune that’s largely instrumental, except for vocalist Brian Belknap’s occasional vocals. Composer Adam Collier turns sequenced beats into something dark, compelling and lovely, even if its relationship to the Yuletide holiday is nothing more than a marketing exercise. The vocal samples “Mercy, Lies, Poison, Stain,” are borrowed from BlakLight’s 2022 song “Bittersweet.” (My new Q and A with Collier is at Popular Culture Beat.)
The B-side is “You Will Never Be Alone,” an instrumental ballad drenched in synthetic strings. The tune will be amplified with vocals for a 2024 release, according to the band’s promo. Based around Los Angeles, BlakLight formed in 2020 with their debut Music In A Time Of Uncertainty, while the follow up set Into The Void blew up landing them a larger audience and fans in Europe.
Synthesist/vocalist Omar Quiñones joined Adam Collier and Brian Belknap in 2022, and BlakLight became a trio. They’ve announced a spot at the Mechanismus Festival Defiance in Seattle in June, and are lining up other live shows for 2024.
BlakLight Band dot com
BlakLight at Bandcamp dot com
finis
