“From the old, up sprouts the new / life moves on and so will you.” So goes the repeated refrain of ‘House Rules’, a single from the self-titled debut album from Lamplight, coming this March on Western Vinyl. The recording project of Virginia‘s Ian Hatcher-Williams, Lamplight can to some extent be summarised by this small scrap of wisdom. An exploration of how one’s sense of identity shifts and changes according to any number of present conditions, not least the place we call home at any given time. Which parts of your character are intrinsic to your being? the record asks. Which are imprinted upon you by the outside world? And, importantly, might we come to live a healthier, more fulfilling life if we can distinguish the facets of ourselves we need to jettison from those we should hold close?
Growing up in a New Age community in Virginia, Hatcher-Williams spent his youth making and studying art, though eventually moved to New York for a job in tech and left music fall by the wayside. But after a few years, increasingly exhausted by the deadening demands of work, Hatcher-Williams and his wife decided to return to Virginia in search of a more modest, meaningful life. Lamplight was written in the period between this most recent transition being an idea and reality, and thus feels like both a return home and something new. An opportunity to take stock of life as it has been lived up to that moment, with the promise of a fresh start staving off the despair of regret.
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Written after a moment of late-night clarity in a Brooklyn bathroom, second single ‘Call Your Mom’ addresses these issues from a different angle, delving into the struggle to maintain connection and communicate fondness across time and distance. “Make a note in my phone / to call everyone I’ve ever known / why’d I wait until now? when this list is long / and I’m to drunk to talk // how long has it been since you called?” With the trademark Lamplight compassion, the song probes into why it is so difficult to cultivate the relationships which mean the most to us, as though each day without action only makes the situation worse. But as with the decision to return to his home state, Hatcher-Williams eventually listens to the voice in the back of his mind, following an instinct as to what is right.
what we do with now
matters more than how
many days it’s been
just know your voice is missed
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Lamplight is out on the 8th March via Western Vinyl and you can pre-order it now.
