SINGLE REVIEW: BRONZE – LIGHT ON SHADOWS

Bronze’s new single ‘Light In Shadow’ has a timeless quality. There are no hard edges to cut yourself on, the track is like a toasted marshmallow, a hug with Manuka honey or being wrapped in thick cumulus clouds on a sunny day.

The band consists of Dylan Ryan, Scott McGaughey and Nic Johns and is a kindred spirit. Dylan and Scott have known each other since their youth and share a passion for Robin Gibb, Roxy Music and the Tangerine Dream soundtracks. Dylan and Nic also have a shared career as composers for film and television.

The gentleness of “Light On Shadow” belies the supple complexity of its construction. As with the softer side of Scritti Politti, the art of songwriting is to write a superb song where the joy of the song takes a backseat to the musicality. There’s a wonderful chord progression in the verse that takes a turn in an unexpected way, and there are plenty of gentle flute sounds drifting throughout the song, alongside delicately plucked guitars with mutes. The gentle piano and guitar solo in the middle of the song would easily fit in with many of Steely Dan’s best songs.

To accompany the piece, Bronze asked artist Lisa Glenn Armstrong to put together a video, full of archival footage that looks like it was taken from corporate videos extolling the virtues of modern technology, then edited with vibrant animations and overexposed colors.