• News

• All

May 01, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

Austin-based indie psych outfit The Bright Light Social Hour are back late this summer with their forthcoming fifth full-length record, Emergency Leisure, due out August 2nd. The record once again finds them combining expansive soundscapes with propulsive electronic grooves, offering an intoxicating blend of psychedelic styles. Ahead of the record’s release, the band shared their record’s lead single, “Not New,” followed by their latest track, “Prefecture.” Now the band are sharing an accompanying live video for “Prefecture,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Prefecture” encapsulates the band’s balance between blissed-out psychedelia and infectious dancefloor odysseys. The track opens with smoky synth textures and knotted basslines, contrasting with some lithe and breezy percussion. Here the band flirts with the worlds of indie, neo-soul, and psych all at once, drawing the listener in with the track’s alluring first half before transitioning into a celestial synth interlude and an ecstatic instrumental climax. Meanwhile, the accompanying live video imbues the track with an added punch and propulsive presence as the band brings an electric sensibility to their most dreamlike soundscapes.

Vocalist Jackie O’Brien says of the track, “‘Prefecture’ is the story of Jaycee, a fan who left her life in Utah—along with her marriage and the Mormon church—to join us on tour as a photographer, eventually becoming a dear friend and creating the art for the upcoming album. The first half reclaims autonomy from an oppressive religion or lover. The instrumental second half embodies the ecstatic lightness of newfound freedom, of finding God on the dance floor.” Jaycee herself can be spotted in the video, along with her photography.

Check out the song and video below. Emergency Leisure is due out August 2nd via Escondido Sound.