At Immersive, I get to listen to incredible acts all the time. I love it because it shows me how dynamic and exciting our music scene is and inspires me to do better with my own songwriting. But every now and then I get to hear an artist that elevates beyond music into something more transcendent. In these moments, listening to their songs feels like stumbling upon a special secret.
And for me, there’s so much joy in sharing. This year, I spent a lot of time listening, walking through hazy patches of sunlight, doing errands, and generally staring into the middle distance. But I’ve also tried to foster connections with fellow musicians and my creative community in general. Ever since a friend introduced me to lighthearted, I’ve become something of a crusader, wanting to repeat the experience again and again.
For those not in the know, lighthearted is the songwriting venture of twin sisters Gracie Huffman and Eliza Lemmon. Featuring Win Cawthorne (electric guitar), Toni Hunlo (drums), and Aidan Hill (bass), the Athens quintet writes the type of hushed, kaleidoscopic songs that appeal to anyone that takes to gorgeous harmonies and plumbing the depths of human nature. Together, the band make perfect music for any long, introspective drive.
Written by Huffman after a difficult breakup, “the cold” grapples with pain, loss, and the anxieties of pressing through the changing season. Huffman’s piano flourishes between lyrics that probe deeply: “Tell me love, what do you see / When you stare back at me? / Am I an old friend or a stranger?” It’s a stirring question with chilling consequences. Produced and mixed by Tommy Trautwein (Well Kept), the song’s raw emotionalism resonates alongside the haunting instrumentation with a bit of studio magic tossed in for that final sparkle. Imagine Folklore but recorded with Big Thief, although that’s not how the track was initially envisioned.
“I always saw it as nothing more than a simple, contemplative, and acoustic song,” Huffman explains. “It was a song I kept very close to my chest because it felt so heavy. When we started recording this, Toni played a simple groove, and we ran with it. ‘the cold’ quickly turned into a song that didn’t lose the original feeling, but was fun to listen to.”
She adds, “However, the timbre of the song felt too consistent throughout, instead of reflecting the hard back and forth of making the decision that is discussed in the lyrics. I had to leave the studio, but expressed this as well as I could. That night, Tommy sent us a bounce of the song and I was blown away. The drums had been muffled in the sections of the song that needed to feel more dissonant and dark. I would have never thought to do that, but it gave ‘the cold’ the movement that reflected my uneasy and hesitant process of breaking off a relationship that meant a lot to me. This song was one that I was hesitant to share, but it has turned into one of my favorites.”
Listen below or stream the track now on Spotify or Apple Music.
lighthearted will release their debut album in 2023. Whenever it comes out chances are high that you’ll find me pinned in my chair, hitting repeat and feeling deliriously hypnotized by this one good life.
More Info
Bandcamp: lightheartedband.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @lightheartedtheband
Instagram: @lightheartedband