Through a shared love of bank heist films, it only seemed right for synth pop-duo LightHouse to write a song about being partners in crime, appropriately christened with one of the most lucrative criminal duos in history. The new single “Bonnie & Clyde” combines an array of clean vocal stylings in marriage with danceable instrumentation, offering glimpses into both a world of computerized music and another accessible to pop-devotees everywhere.
LightHouse consists of Katya Richardson and Logan Nelson, both classically-trained composers and based in Los Angeles. The two met through composition studies at USC, but wanted to branch out into a more versatile genre that incorporated more of a clarified narration. Their music takes the approachable air of pop music and adds a unique twist, incorporating cinematic acoustics and an arsenal of instrumental sounds not commonly heard in the genre, notably brass and woodwinds.
Throughout “Bonnie & Clyde,” the compositional power of the music speaks for itself. Unheard sequences of sound interweave thumping bass kicks and twirling scales. LightHouse orchestrates this interweaving masterfully, a seemingly flawless combination of various synthetics that not only pleases the ears but causes listeners to get up and dance, impossible to sit still.
Richardson and Nelson not only draws influence from their classical training but evoke inspiration from experimental composers. The duo wants to bridge the gap between classical and pop genres, two realms so inherently different from one another that such a feat seems impossible. Music is ambiguous, however, the lines of genres only drawn lightly in the sand. LightHouse adds electronic, synth, and unique vocal sounds to pieces otherwise classical in their dramatic elements, building the foundation of a bridge that will one day merge the classical and the popular contemporary more than we can currently believe.
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Photographs & Cover Art by: Maria Alvarez
