Bright Light Bright Light has unveiled his new track Sweet Release as the lead single from his upcoming fifth album.
Announcing the release on social media, the singer-songwriter revealed the single was written with frequent collaborator Jon Shave and is the “first taste of what’s to come” on the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Fun City’.
“New era incoming,” he penned. “The first song from the new Bright Light Bright Light world ‘Sweet Release’ comes out March 17th.”
It’s his first track since his 2022 single I Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do.
Speaking to RETROPOP last year, the musician – real name Rod Thomas – opened up about working through the past decade as an independent artist.
“Like, full transparency, I’ve done all of these things without a label in tow and not once has a label ever approached me,” he said. “I don’t know why that is – and I’m not saying it like a sob story, but just for anybody who reads this who is an independent musician, there’s no real logic to everything.
“I’ve done all of these things; I’ve toured and worked with Cher, Elton John, Erasure, Scissor Sisters, Ellie Goulding, John Grant… all of these wild people! And not a single label has once thought to ask me if I wanted to work with them.”
Although he’s been hugely successful, Rod admitted being rejected by the major players in the music industry led to a number of misconceptions surrounding him. “I do get labelled by people as vehemently independent and headstrong and foolish or whatever,” he reflected, “and it’s like, I’m really not.
“I just didn’t want to sit there gathering moss until somebody decided that I was worth potentially having a conversation with.
“I just wanted to make music and get it listened to by the world, so I just got up and did it myself.”
He added: “There’s a big difference between being like, ‘I’m gonna do it myself,’ and then being like, ‘Well, no one wants to help me, so I’m going to make it happen.’ You know, that’s two very different approaches. And I often get tarred as being sort of cocky and like, ‘I can do everything myself’ – I’m very aware, I cannot do everything myself.
“But I definitely am not going to sit here and waste my life, thinking, ‘Oh, someone else will come and help me soon.’ And then they never do.
“I’m 100 per cent not willing to waste my life, waiting for things to happen.”
