A week from its release LANY’s sophomore work Malibu Nights reached number 36 on the Billboard 200, a huge step from the LA based band who only released their debut album last summer.

Stepping slightly away from their more cheerful sound they tell a transporting story of heartbreak, expressing the raw feelings of finding real love and losing it for the first time. Their aesthetic is preserved, but it is moving along a special distinctive mood.

This somehow short and impromptu work came into life during what Paul Klein, main vocals and mind behind the lyrics, described as the “worst 45 days of his life”. Following the split from his girlfriend late last year, he channelled all his hurt and powerful emotions in creating what was indeed originally meant to be called “January”. Klein himself said he was not aware he was making an album until he was done composing it, handling his sentiments together with it. A truly exquisite example of how music can originate from simply embracing the now.

If you have ever experienced heartbreak, these moody sounds and heartfelt lyrics will most probably speak to your soul, hitting close to home. The tracks humbly flow one after the other, mixing up gloomy upbeat and sophisticated melodies.

We glide through all the stages from denial and grief with ‘Thick And Thin’ and ‘Thru These Tears’, the first single taken from the album, all the way to acceptance- “The only way to get past this feeling is to tell myself you are not coming back” “I Don’t Wanna Love You Anymore” and “I think it’s time to give my heart a chance even if its bleeding” (‘Valentine’s Day’).

The band managed to stay true to their iconic sound introducing a touch of RnB, ‘Let Me Know’ and softer ballads, ‘Malibu Nights’.

This album fully shows LANY’s ability to transport their unique dreamy pop sounds across diverse atmospheres, merely delighting us alongside it.

Giulia Miccio