HNNY - Light Shines Through
Since he returned to production in 2017 with the album Ta Paus, the Swede is slowly carving out a solid discography of dream-like rhythmic ambient records. His house chops are clearly still in his heart, and the retention of soulful vocals is only now that they're used to form silky textures and combined perfectly with the much slower and more considered melodics. HNNY's latest album, Light Shines Through (2024), provides more stunning soundscapes that fit just as well on the beach at sunset as on your commute to work. As his first self-released album, there is a palpable feeling of HNNY having found his sound. Slow-moving chords that sound like a blend of reversed notes and swelling string. Soft breakbeats and drum samples hold down the rhythm section while sultry vocals remain foundational.
Light Shines Through feels like a story of heartbreak, yet flashes of optimism and reverence appear throughout. HNNY brings innocence rather than a full-on party to the album, especially the 'The Small Things'. Melody's circle is like the high-pitched nursery rhyme played by the mobile above my cot. Effectively, this forced the track to sepia coated in memory in my mind. The Swede emulates groups like Royksopp or Groove Armada by bringing in soft drums that float over the chords. 'Melody Electronics' incorporates elements of Balearic and downtempo, which makes it almost like a more upbeat Massive Attack but with a more personal mix. Everything has its place, so when combined with headphones, the track transforms from this silky sound bath to something that feels like a daydream conjured out of disassociated imagination.
The tracks 'Lila' and 'Beginning' only really act as palate cleansers in between other, more fleshed-out tracks. And this isn't a localised problem. Many of the tracks on Light Shines Through are Shorter than I particularly like, mainly because you want more of each–yes, I've heard less is more. The one that pained me the most was 'Other Worlds'. How do a rolling arpeggiator, a few bass notes, and a vocal become this ambient sound bath that I could lay in forever, but it's only a minute and a half long?
The title track, 'Light Shines Through', is one of the standouts on the record. It's so goddamn listenable as it's not exactly the most instrument rich of tracks; you could pick him out on one hand. What's most impressive about Light Shines Through is its use of vocals, this time putting his spin on the sound of Koreless and Mount Kimbie circa 2010. 'All For You' uses a similar technique but more prominently. Breathy female vowels create a less choppy Todd Edward-style garage. Meanwhile, the track 'Morning Trip' goes all-in on the weightless and beatless aesthetic, sounding much more akin to a modular ambient experiment while strangely retaining the most classically housey HNNY DNA on the album.
The whole album is slow and weightless but familiar. HNNY sinks into a distinct middle ground for UK listeners, especially as most tracks take inspiration from early ambient bass music, a bit of garage, and vocal usage. Break elements run through the whole album, reminiscent of liquid drum and bass and, of course, early jungle. The liquid junglism flows all over Both 'I'll Come Your Way' and the final track, 'I Let Go', from subtle reverse breaks to minimal use of glitch effects. The way layers of swelling strings move so slowly over both cuts, followed closely by the sub, forces them to carry a lot of emotional weight. 'I Let Go' fuses different pieces of the album into one song, combining most elements into one cohesive ballad. HNNY uses vocals to create mood, yet its proximity in the mix makes the whole track more like a memory than something heard for the first time. Increasing the type of percussion and twinges of liquid DNB float with a rolling sob complimented by Nush and chords, HNNY has created a perfect album closer.
The self-released album by HNNY is right up there. A new Johan Cederberg has arrived and wants to make his stamp on the ambient scene. It's hard to make a summer break-up song, let alone an album of them–the genres seem too far apart, but this was a success. Is luck today sickle bright but also has a little undercurrent of sorrow, which mixes beautifully with the pitch vocals and good time drum sampling. A few tracks needed more emotional depth as they came across as lacking, only because the rest of the output is so good. The cuts that do lack run-time are screaming out to be longer. Switching from a humorous house artist to a much more thoughtful and emotionally available artist is quite a choice, considering music's physical things. Music fans can be fickle and only sometimes like change. Still, this album shows that fans will see the vision if done with authenticity and tactfulness.
Tracklist:
Beginning
I'll Come Your Way
Lila
Melody Electronics
The Smallest Thing
Light Shines Through
All For You
Other Worlds
Morning Trip
I Let Go
Label: HNNY (Self-Released)
HNNY - Light Shines Through