Lights has returned with her newest single, Real Thing, which is a fun play on slow R&B jams with a mix of 80s instrumentation.

The world has fallen in love with 80s production once again. Though the root of which is arguable, many agreeing that The Weeknd was a huge force in bringing that particular sound back, the impact of such a comeback has been rippling through modern pop. Lights takes those sounds and finds a way to make it an addition rather than the focus. One of the reasons why it doesn’t feel so much at the spotlight is mostly due to the modern songwriting and production, paired with the blend of old school synthesizers, drums, basses with modern R&B elements. The arpeggiated keys, the cheesy bloopy synth lines, and the distorted drums are all key to this very particular sound.

Though the sounds are quite gripping, like mentioned above, they are not the focus of this song. Lights and Elohim’s voices are absolutely beautiful in this track, soaring gently over the instrumentation in blissful melodies. They find ways to convey many words without being intrusive to the instrumentation, which is in half due to the slow feel of the groove and the two singers’ talents. The chorus is especially catchy, with the ending melody in the bridge sounding like an arena chant without sounding so arena-pop-y. It leads to the final chorus, filled with floaty keys, light harmonies and plenty of ad libs to keep the music interesting.

‘Real Thing’ doesn’t feel like a revolution, though it does feel very new in many ways. The way it blends that 80s tone and modern ideas and production is really fun to listen to. More so, the two singers do an absolutely incredible job conveying a chill palette while the bass and drums grooves quite hard. It’s a wonderful return for Lights, and promises great things in the future for the artist.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.