by Ryan Haughey
Wild Pink invites listeners to a festival of sonic dancing on A Billion Little Lights. Their unique brand of synth-y folk blends strings with pads and everything in between. As one song melts into the next, Wild Pink slowly constructs a clear ambience that cerebrally targets the feeling associated with chasing bliss.
The ever-rolling beat of the drum that Wild Pink provides throughout each song drives the album forward. Drums feel feathered, as if they were carefully placed into the instrumentation – surrounded by xylophones and violins that create a gentle, harmonic euphoria.
A Billion Little Lights explores the duality of finally being able to award oneself the love they deserve, while simultaneously feeling lost about one’s place in the universe. In the song “Better Than Christmas,” every strum of the guitar rings with reverberation. Simple, pleasing bells chime over the deep, smooth vocals of John Ross. Those gentle drums rise with the climax of the song, tambourines driving forward into the next track, “The Shining But Topical.”
From the deep, atmospheric tone of the instrumentation, you may expect nostalgia, but Wild Pink is more interested in discovery and exploration. The majority of the record is backed by circumambient synth pads, with each song seeping into the rest. Maybe this mirrors the continuous experiential nature of navigating life aware of the constant newness of every moment.
A deep, echoing breath lingers, stepping with confidence into the spotlight of the resolving “Die Outside.” Understanding and accepting the woeful sorrows of the past, this final song marks a perpetual open heartedness to experiencing each and every moment of life.