Album: Skin&Earth by Lights (2017)
Genre: Synthpop | Style: Rock/Pop | Mood: Dreamy
Record Label: Fueled by Ramen
Format: Album

Description: Skin & Earth is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Lights. The album was released on September 22, 2017, released through Warner Bros. Records. The album was preceded by release of her single "Giants", as well as three other songs released promotionally. The album has charted number three in Canada and ninety-fifth in the US. Similar to her past albums, Skin & Earth incorporates electronic and pop elements. Lights created the album alongside her comic book of the same name, which was initially released July 2017. Lights' latest and final issue in the series was released December 13, 2017, and a trade paperback is planned to be released April 3, 2018.
Lights claimed in an interview with Billboard that she has always linked comic books and music together, but this is her first time creating a concept album based on her own comic book series, which is illustrated and written by herself through Dynamite Entertainment. The comic book features the story of a girl named Enaia Jin who is looking for hope in a post-apocalyptic world. Lights explains that in the comic series, Enaia "becomes entangled with a dark spiritual friend who in turn becomes much more connected to the world around her than she ever thought and sets her on a journey that could change the course of everything." Tied in with the comic, each song on the Skin & Earth album corresponds with one of the six issues of the comic book. Lights claims that the comic book was inspired by strong female heroes such as Wonder Woman, and features fantasy genre characteristics such as romance, mortals, cults, and gods.
When asked where she got the idea to interweave the comic book and album, Lights responded with "I'm just such a fan of both mediums, so why not be the first one to really do it? It's been done slightly in a couple of ways before, but I don't think it's been done to this degree, so closely tied to an album and certainly not with a woman or in pop music." Unlike artists in the past, Lights wrote the comics and songs at the same time and both the comic and album draw on each other.
Skin & Earth was recorded with the help of Corin Ruddick from Purity Ring, Alan Wilkis from Big Data, Josh Dun, the drummer from Twenty One Pilots, and Stephen Kozmeniuk, a Canadian songwriter. Even though the album is based on the comic book series, Lights claimed that she ensured that the music related both to the comic book issues, but also to the real world so that listeners could still understand and feel connected to the songs on the album. Out of the 14 songs on the record, Lights says that her favourite is "Fight Club," but she hopes that all of the songs are able to transport listeners "to another world." The album has been called by many critics "a mess of emotion that is ultimately revealed."

Artist Background: Lights (born Valerie Anne Poxleitner; April 11, 1987), is a Canadian electropop musician, singer, and songwriter. Some of her notable singles include "Drive My Soul", "Ice", "Second Go", "Toes", and "Up We Go". In 2009, she was awarded the Juno Award for New Artist of the Year. Starting in early 2008, Lights toured cities in the Great Lakes region, in both Canada and the United States. In late 2008, she toured the United States. In August 2008, Lights signed a record deal with Toronto-based l... Part of the Toronto, Canada music scene. Emerged in the 2000s era. Associated with Synthpop movement. Known for Rock/Pop style.

Related Artists: PVRIS, CHVRCHES, Transviolet, Purity Ring

Music Scene: Part of the Toronto, Canada music scene. Emerged in the 2000s era. Associated with Synthpop movement. Known for Rock/Pop style.

Tags: Synthpop, Rock/Pop, Dreamy, 2010s, Album, Fueled by Ramen

Additional Context: Available on Discogs marketplace


Skin & Earth is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Lights. The album was released on September 22, 2017, released through Warner Bros. Records. The album was preceded by release of her single "Giants", as well as three other songs released promotionally. The album has charted number three in Canada and ninety-fifth in the US. Similar to her past albums, Skin & Earth incorporates electronic and pop elements. Lights created the album alongside her comic book of the same name, which was initially released July 2017. Lights' latest and final issue in the series was released December 13, 2017, and a trade paperback is planned to be released April 3, 2018.
Lights claimed in an interview with Billboard that she has always linked comic books and music together, but this is her first time creating a concept album based on her own comic book series, which is illustrated and written by herself through Dynamite Entertainment. The comic book features the story of a girl named Enaia Jin who is looking for hope in a post-apocalyptic world. Lights explains that in the comic series, Enaia "becomes entangled with a dark spiritual friend who in turn becomes much more connected to the world around her than she ever thought and sets her on a journey that could change the course of everything." Tied in with the comic, each song on the Skin & Earth album corresponds with one of the six issues of the comic book. Lights claims that the comic book was inspired by strong female heroes such as Wonder Woman, and features fantasy genre characteristics such as romance, mortals, cults, and gods.
When asked where she got the idea to interweave the comic book and album, Lights responded with "I'm just such a fan of both mediums, so why not be the first one to really do it? It's been done slightly in a couple of ways before, but I don't think it's been done to this degree, so closely tied to an album and certainly not with a woman or in pop music." Unlike artists in the past, Lights wrote the comics and songs at the same time and both the comic and album draw on each other.
Skin & Earth was recorded with the help of Corin Ruddick from Purity Ring, Alan Wilkis from Big Data, Josh Dun, the drummer from Twenty One Pilots, and Stephen Kozmeniuk, a Canadian songwriter. Even though the album is based on the comic book series, Lights claimed that she ensured that the music related both to the comic book issues, but also to the real world so that listeners could still understand and feel connected to the songs on the album. Out of the 14 songs on the record, Lights says that her favourite is "Fight Club," but she hopes that all of the songs are able to transport listeners "to another world." The album has been called by many critics "a mess of emotion that is ultimately revealed."

Skin&Earth

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