Shana Falana’s dreamy pop songs aren’t too far removed from recent developments in shoegaze-derivative sounds from the past couple decades—their latest tune “Go Higher,” for example, sounds like a cleaned up single from The Raveonettes’ 2008 opus Lust Lust Lust. Yet what sets this project apart from the rest goes beyond Falana’s gothy aesthetic.
“I was an addict,” Falana recalls of her past life in a press release for her new record. “I worked on the fringe of the sex industry in New York City for two years. I know that even in the darkest lives, everyone still has their light. People still shine.”
As is the case with much of the music she’s put out through this project dating back to 2011, “Go Higher” turns dark experiences into bright (yet dense) pop songs—in this case focusing on Wiccan and Buddhist ideas. “The first song on the album, ‘Go Higher’’s twinkly opening is meant to invite you in,” she tells us. “Lyrically I created a mantra out of Wiccan chants and Buddhist concepts in hopes of casting a spell on the listener. In sobriety they say ‘one day at a time,’ but that applies to so many things in life. The idea is to just keep it in the moment, always do the next right thing, and tomorrow you get another chance!”
Darkest Light is out this Friday, October 25, via Arrowhead Records. You can pre-order it here.
