We haven’t heard much from Esmé Patterson since her 2016 LP We Were Wild besides a few demos, singles, and appearances behind Tiny Desks, but the news today of her signing to BMG Records certainly implies that there’s more to come from the pop songwriter. Sharing a label with the likes of Pixies, Big K.R.I.T., and The Temper Trap, it’s pretty safe to say that 2020 should be a big year for Patterson.
With this major career step comes an interesting shift in sound: in place of the soulful folk perfected in her previous work, her debut single with her new label has plenty of electronic and R&B elements, thanks in part to her recording sesh with dream pop duo Tennis. As refreshing as “Light in Your Window” sounds, Patterson chalks the inspiration for the track up to a feeling of longing best illustrated by an anecdote she recalls:
“The idea (and the name) for the song ‘Light in Your Window’ came to me when driving with my friend Martin past his ex-girlfriend’s house. He reflexively looked up to her bedroom window to see if the light was on, and then was angry with the muscle-memory that had made him do so. He expressed the melancholy caused by the slowness with which healing processes can sometimes move. I had been going through a breakup as well and poured some of my feelings into that metaphor and it became a song!”
Catch the video below, and stream/download the track on your DSP of choice here.
