You expect efficiency from an artist named after a single-word Aram Saroyan poem. And, true to their name, Lighght's brisk debut EP doesn't waste a second. Opener 'Hang Nail' punches into a disordered evocation of early Aphex Twin. Further tracks follow suit, fed out as short drips of uncomfortable, jittering chaos. The taunting playground-dread of Come To Daddy casts a long shadow. But Lighght manages to burn through with a distinctive organic timbre.
Aphex conjured images of otherworldly metals clanging together; the ineffability of an hallucinogenic experience. By contrast, The Skin Falls Off The Body grounds itself in the physical. Somewhere between club and abattoir. Negative space and arrhythmia fill airy cavities. These tracks rattle through the chest, march goosebumps over its surface. A shattering corporeality ensures every beat, screech and snarl lands with full force. The sheer, body-pulping impact of this work is difficult to resist.
Lighght retains your attention like it's nothing. Ethereal atmospheres are interrupted by blasts of noise the second they settle. The effect: a jumpscare-pocked horror which forbids passive listening. A cleansing examination of our relationship with our own bodies. A unique new voice that’s still just clearing its throat.
This unsettling EP should please fans of Aphex Twin, Autechre, Klein and Jlin. Available for streaming and purchase here.
Words by Andrew O’Keefe