Canadian electropop singer Lights returned with her new single, “Damage,” on Friday after a month of teases and leaks.
The song was first teased on social media on Aug. 13 before being officially announced on Sept. 4. Prior to the announcement, she debuted the first minute of the song live at All Your Friends Fest on Aug. 23.
“Damage” is a gloomy-sounding track defined by a downbeat electric guitar riff that builds a more intimate atmosphere. The percussion sounds like it utilizes a drum machine, which adds a more mechanical element to the sound.
This musical approach serves the lyrics very well, which describes being in an isolating mental state. The narrator alludes to her mental health declining to the point where she no longer feels like herself and warns the listener about this.
In addition, Lights sings in her lower register here to give a simultaneously sultry and vulnerable performance. Her higher register, which here recalls the vocals on her record Little Machines, breaks into the background during the final chorus, suggesting she is trying to break out of the state she is in.
Lights has teased more music releasing after “Damage,” and this new track signals a shift to a darker musical tone reminiscent of early records like Siberia and Little Machines.
