DEAD LIGHTS - LASH (release on May 15th. 2026)
Glamgoth? Dark Electro? Industrial Cyberfunk? Disguised as dark, sleazy electropop, Saul and Richard create their own personal blend of monumental synth bass lines and gritty sounds, elaborate vocal arrangements and brutal, dance-orientated beats.
DEAD LIGHTS was founded in 2020, at the start of the Covid19 pandemic, forcing the international musician / producers duo (UK and NL) to work on all their output from a distance. Separated by the sea and a pandemic, but connected in spirit and a lust for dark, filthy, electronic dance music, Saul and Richard managed to define their own style, combining elements of glam and goth with a modern, personal twist. On top of critical acclaim in the press, their songs receive wide support from DJs, and are being played regularly in clubs and on leading radio shows. Several international tours and many festival gigs cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting new EBM acts.
LASH
Their new album ‘Lash’ can be characterised as their boldest release to date. It contains 8 previously released singles which all are dance floor bangers - built to ignite strobes and command bodies into motion. On top of these, DEAD LIGHTS presents 4 brand new songs that emphasize the more cinematic side that is also present in their music and which move further away from conventional song structures.
The overarching theme of the album is “destruction is creation”, signifying that breaking down, removing, or ending old structures is a necessary precursor to building something new, as summarized by Pablo Picasso's quote, "Every act of creation is first an act of destruction". This concept highlights that true innovation or renewal requires dismantling the existing state to provide a blank slate for growth.
This isn’t only true for art and creativity, but also works for emotional, spiritual and personal matters: You can’t build a new version of yourself if the old one’s still taking up all the space. You can’t meet the love of your life if you're clinging to a lost flame from the past. Sometimes stuff has to fall apart so better things can land. The deconstructed, ‘decaying’ orchestral compositions in the beginning and ending of the album illustrate this sentiment.
DEAD LIGHTS do not grind the debris of their precursors into small pebbles, instead it uses the rubble as building blocks to create their own style of electronic pop music. They want you to move to the rhythm of death and rebirth, to dance in the ruins while they create something new.
These aren’t empty hooks or recycled party chants. ‘Lash’ contains 12 tracks that make you move and make you think. The lyrics dive headfirst into the realities shaping our world right now — algorithms (‘The Algorithm’), economic pressure (‘Grind’), mental health in the age of endless scrolling (‘Killing Time’). But they also touch on more personal, yet universal topics such as love and loss (‘Take’, ‘(The Edge of) Dusk’). Although the lyrical content is very personal and deals with serious matters which are not very uplifting, DEAD LIGHTS dances on the volcano, proudly wearing the badge of ‘low art’, as stated in the album’s subtitle “Lesions of low art”.
This refers to the (manufactured) gap between “low art” (popular culture) and so-called “high art”. According to Richard, who has one foot in each (he also exhibits audio-visual installations in galleries and composes music for many modern ballet companies), there’s a lot of solemnity in the “high art” world, just like in the military and in monarchy. Solemnity in the form of not being serious, it’s the performance of seriousness. But these spaces are easily disturbed, revealing their absurdity. That same absurdity is embraced by the “low art” of DEAD LIGHTS, where it unapologetically takes the shape of outrageousness and extravaganza.
Saul adds: “This album really brings to the fore an element of our music that’s always been there; the juxtaposition of hard, high-energy music mixed with a downbeat cynicism and introspection. This creates an uneasy dichotomy; one half seeking to revitalise and empower, the other attempting to tear at the foundations. It creates a tension, a sense of everything always hanging in the balance - two things joined together yet continuously pulling each other apart, one entity that is simultaneously both destroying and creating.”
Recognising the fact that every rebellion ages into a design style, ‘Lash’ aims to be gorgeous enough to pull you close - and sharp enough to cut once you’re there, leaving “lesions of low art”: whip marks that signify a lasting impression.
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DIGIPAC CD
- 6-panel Digipac CD with booklet
- Limited to 300 pieces worldwide
TRACKLIST DIGIPAC CD
1. Never Take Me Alive
2. The Human Touch
3. The Dream Membrane
4. (The Edge Of) Dusk
5. Break Out
6. Gravity
7. Killing Time
8. Take
9. The Algorithm
10. Grind
11. Resonate
12. Unmaker
FORMAT: Digipac CD
STRONG LIMITED to only 300 units worldwide
RELEASE: May 15th. 2026