Hello Lightfoot takes us on a tour through the SLAUGHTERHOUSE

Jessica Louise Dye doesn't hide her rock heritage, she can't, she's been the frontwoman of New York surf rockers High Waisted for far too long, but as the emerging alt-pop singer-songwriter Hello Lightfoot, this heritage is the vitalizing edge that immediately sets her apart from most of her would-be pop peers.

Now don't get it twisted. Hello Lightfoot *is* pop -of the "alt-indie" variety, sure- but the friendly catchiness and danceable qualities are all present. If anything, it's all uplifted and made more interesting by a little bit of guitar here and a little bit of a sick bassline there. It's all very nutritious to bite into, musically you'll be left wanting for nothing, like a hearty three-course meal.

Lightfoot's newest track is of great interest to us today, it's called SLAUGHTERHOUSE, and it's not nearly as aggressive as the name makes it out to be, again -don't get it twisted- this isn't rock, this is an electrified sort of Pop, though perhaps one that carries a meat cleaver in the Slaughterhouse of love.

The song starts out with an electronic wailing that's faintly reminiscent of those buzzing saws used in big Slaughterhouses, and the business we call this "thematically fitting", although we later learned it was based off of a recording of the NYC subway -a key part in the identity of Jessica as an artist no doubt.- It doesn't take long, however, for the beat to kick in alongside a fairly subtle guitar riff that stays under the surface for most of the track. What binds it all together is the interplay between Jessica's wistful vocals and the groovy bassline that I think really makes for a sound that pulls in two opposite directions, resulting in all the bittersweetness that Hello Lightfoot wants to convey. I can't help of be reminded of the mid-to-late 90s alt-pop-rock sound, and I wonder if that's what Lightfoot was going for here or if it's just one of those happy little coincidences that appear in the listener's mind as they interpret the song against their own head-library of sounds and memories. In any case, SLAUGHTERHOUSE has the power to evoke and entice all it wants out of you.

The bittersweetness doesn't come cheaply though, the story that the song tells is one about the dificulties of a love life that is perhaps lacking in honesty, among both parties and even towards themselves "It’s embarrassing to know what you’re doing isn’t good for you, but to continue to choose to do it anyway. " says Jessica, "This is a wide variety of vices, from dating people you know are bad for you or staying out too late when you have to work early in the morning. The lyric “what you seek is sinking you” is more of a reminder sung to myself. And a hope that by immortalizing it in song, it might make it easier for me to avoid the behaviors and habits I know will only get me in trouble." she elaborates.

The lyrics leave you with a bit of wisdom in the form of a reminder of how important the truth can be, even if it results in temporary unpleasantness; at least you know you were genuine to yourself and the other person, and this isn't just about lies but about leavin things unsaid, or how Lightfoot puts it in the song ‘Silence is calm, but powerless’. So hold nothing back for the sake of avoiding conflict when saying what needs to be said is a much more powerful and transformative tool.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.