Exclusive Premiere: Skylight Motion Picture's 'Music From the Film' is a Musical Story
The cinematic and bedroom pop group, Skylight Motion Picture, aims to make music that moves people while making people dance along with their electronic pop and synthetic sounds. Their love for movies and their soundtracks, Skylight Motion Picture’s music is deeply rooted in sounds that tell a story. Their latest album, Music From the Film, is a shining example of how their music is a collection of stories told through their experimentations.
Music From the Film is musically based around the 'bedroom pop' music that shaped chief songwriter, Ezekiel James Hampton, in early adulthood. Despite this being a mostly electronically-produced album, listeners can expect more orchestral instruments such as piano, glockenspiels, woodwinds, and strings. All lyrics to the album revolve around two themes: moving forward after being emotionally unprepared for a broken heart and spiritual evolution born out of the ashes of religious culture.
Music From the Film consists of 13 rich and honest songs, each with their own unique cinematic pop stylings that explores their nostalgic influences and exploration of genres. “Opening Titles” introduces the album and sets the tone for what’s to come with lilting vocals and heavily electronic sounds. The last song, “Roll Credits,” wraps up the album with more electronic sounds and processed vocals. The tempo is fast, though the slow bells over the beat juxtaposes that, inviting us to slow down in the chaos.
While each of the 13 songs are strong, there are three that stand out the most. “Chase” is a synthetic pop song about running from grief. They sing “Is there anybody out there/for me to chase?/Is there anybody out there/to take your place?” The tempo and beat is fast and the music keeps up. In not embracing the grief of losing someone you love, you don’t grow or heal, which is an important part of our journey through life. “Avalon” is an electronic pop song with a clearer melody that more easily gets stuck in your head. “Avalon” is a personal song for Ezekiel because it’s a satire about his religious upbringing. The lyrics juxtaposed with the swirling musical synths in the background exemplifies the way he feels about the church. The final song that sticks with us is “Self Fulfilling Prophecies,” a textured song with vocals provided by Thomas Brady Lee, about giving into our fears and chalking it up to destiny. It’s a reminder that we are the authors of our life and giving into our fears is just a defense mechanism to ensure we don’t get hurt. We don’t want to waste our time, so we don’t spend it. “Self Fulfilling Prophecies” is the most “commercial” than the rest, with an M83 or a synthetic The 1975 feeling to it.
Listen here:
“This is mostly a melancholy album, but I wanted it to sound like a vibrant romance with the backdrop of springtime because it conveys innocence, youthful idealization, and a nostalgia in which I felt with my sense of assuredness,” shares Ezekiel. “I spent 2017-2020 writing these songs all while releasing another album of older material. While I still don't feel the most authoritative in writing about the subject of love and heartache, I do feel more confident in expressing my thoughts on matters relating to man's relationship with God, religion, and spirituality. I do think this will always be a consistent lyrical theme of mine due to my ripened understanding of the evangelical cultural background I come from. Some of the songs from this album related to this matter are in the form of prayers, pleas, and satire.”
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Freelance Writer
Emily Hinde