Peaking Lights: "Breakdown"

The earliest recordings that mystical married-duo Indra Dunis and Aaron Coyes made as Peaking Lights sounded like a couple of crate-digging noiseheads locked in a well-lit attic with a collection of Lee “Scratch” Perry vinyl culled from the curb. As their music evolved, Dunis and Coyes drew from the sound and spirit of reggae and dub, recording their analog psychedelic pop experiments straight to tape—always with a calm, knowing, audible grin. If Peaking Lights’ 2011 record 936 sounded dusty, it’s only because they stayed up there long enough to patiently hone a legitimate zone.

All of that meditation has led to transformation: “Breakdown”, off the upcoming Cosmic Logic, is the most tangible music Peaking Lights have put their name on. The beats are more pointed, and their rhythms are allowed room to breathe, while the flatness of Dunis’ voice retains their off-kilter edge: “Breakdown/ I wanna/ Break free, of breaking down,” she speak-sings, a typically steadied mantra. With repeat listens, the strange, sunny grooves of “Breakdown” sound like something you could have once imagined M.I.A. latching onto.

Comments are closed.