BYRN - 'Light On' — When The Horn Blows

Haunting, hypnotic and somewhat insidious in its appeal, ‘Light On’ is the latest single from Brooklyn-based BYRN.

Dark, beguiling and ultimately harbouring an edge of danger, it explores the stigma surrounding a woman’s desires and sexual authenticity as she “navigates her way through the perceived duplicity between outer facade and her deeper, more natural impulses”.

As one might expect such a meditative offering to be, ‘Light On’ feels both understated and considered. A track torn between the light and dark, both musically and narratively, it’s a love story, but not the in traditional sense. Instead, it’s a track about a woman falling in love with herself, not despite her sexuality, but because of it.

Though empowering, there’s also a fragility at play. It’s a dichotomy exhibited on BYRN’s previous singles, the glitchy ‘Jai Guru Dev’ for instance, or the soaring ‘Wanderer’. Never before has it felt so realised though, or so important.

Produced, recorded and performed by BYRN herself, it’s easy to see ‘Light On’ as a record deeply personal to BYRN and harbouring little in the way of resonance, but herein lies the crux of the problem she addresses.

Too often these days are women’s sexualities distorted or dismissed entirely. In seeking to explore these ideas, BYRN not only sheds a sensitive light on the emotions that come with empowerment, but puts the power back in her own hands.

Words of Dave Beech