Little Machines

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Little Machines
Studio album by
Lights
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2014 (2014-09-19)
Recorded2013 - March 2, 2014
Los Angeles, CA
Vancouver, BC[1]
Genre
Length38:33
50:09 (with bonus tracks)
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Lights chronology
Siberia Acoustic
(2013) 		Little Machines
(2014) 		Midnight Machines
(2016)
Singles from Little Machines
  1. "Up We Go"
    Released: July 22, 2014
  2. "Portal"
    Released: August 12, 2014
  3. "Running with the Boys"
    Released: January 26, 2015
  4. "Same Sea"
    Released: May 14, 2015
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Idolator[3]
Popmatters4/10[4]
Rock Sound7/10[5]

Little Machines is the third studio album by Canadian electropop singer-songwriter Lights, released on September 19, 2014, through Warner Bros. Records. It was preceded in July 2014 by the release of its lead single "Up We Go", which debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 84. In October 2014, Little Machines debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at number five, and on the US Billboard 200 at number 34.[6][7] The album sold 8,500 copies in its first week in Canada.[8] On March 15, 2015, 'Little Machines' won the 'Pop Album of the Year' award at the 2015 Juno Awards.[9] The album title comes from a lyric in the song "Running with the Boys".

Background[edit]

After promoting the acoustic version of her second studio album, Siberia, in 2013, Lights returned to the studio to work on new material. On Little Machines, Lights was inspired by bold female artists including Björk, Kate Bush, and Patti Smith, while also wanting to remain accessible.[10] Critics have noted the more lighthearted nature of lead single "Up We Go" in comparison to the grittier, more experimental dubstep-pop of Siberia, which is indicative of the sonic direction of the album as a whole.[11][12]

In an interview with Billboard, Lights explained that while she felt like taking risks on Siberia, Little Machines was more about creating great "incredible songs that everyone can sing along to and lyrically latch onto" and then putting them together as an album.[10] Working with producer Drew Pearson and Mark "Spike" Stent, Lights captured a "timeless electronic sound" and found herself lyrically gravitating towards themes of nostalgia and naivety.[1] Lights has described the album as "a triumph after a hard dry spell" and "a complete journey, from front to back", noting that during the recording process she found herself "[turning] to poetry, art and female songwriting legends ... and just enjoying [herself] again."[1]

Lights recorded the album while pregnant with her first child and noted that for certain songs she had to alter the way she sang due to her diaphragm muscles tightening.[13] She recorded the vocals to the song "Muscle Memory" while in the early stages of labor which required her to take multiple breaks.[13]

Promotion[edit]

Little Machines was made available for pre-order on July 22, 2014, with lead single "Up We Go" also available for purchase at that time.[14] The announcement came after a ten-day countdown on Lights' official social media pages.[12] To promote the album, Lights toured in the US during the fall, starting October 24 in Portland, Maine.[14]

Singles[edit]

"Up We Go" was released to digital retailers and Canadian radio on July 22, 2014.[14] It was serviced to modern rock radio in the United States on September 9.[15] It debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the week of August 9, and at No. 42 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 airplay chart for the week of September 13.[16][17] The official music video premiered September 3.[18]

"Running with the Boys" was released as the second countdown single on September 9, 2014.[10] It was subsequently serviced to Canadian radio in January 2015 as the second official single off the album.[19] The music video debuted January 30, 2015.[20]

Other songs[edit]

  • "Portal" was released to iTunes as the first countdown single on August 12, 2014, along with an official music video that premiered the same day.
  • "Same Sea" was released January 19, 2015 as the third promotional single off the album, with the K.Flay Remix premiering that day.

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Portal"Lights Poxleitner4:28
2."Running with the Boys"
4:12
3."Up We Go"
2:51
4."Same Sea"
3:28
5."Speeding"
  • Poxleitner
  • Pearson
3:27
6."Muscle Memory"
  • Poxleitner
  • Pearson
3:37
7."Oil and Water"
  • Poxleitner
  • Salter
3:12
8."Slow Down"
  • Poxleitner
  • Salter
3:24
9."Meteorites"
  • Poxleitner
  • Salter
3:22
10."How We Do It"Poxleitner3:05
11."Don't Go Home Without Me"Poxleitner3:27
Total length:38:33
Deluxe version bonus tracks[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Child"
  • Poxleitner
  • Pearson
3:49
13."Lucky Ones" (featuring Beau Bokan)Poxleitner3:36
14."From All Sides"
  • Poxleitner
  • Pearson
4:11
Total length:50:09

Personnel[edit]

Credits and personnel for Little Machines:[22]

  • Matt Barnes - photography
  • Beau Bokan - vocals (track 13)[23]
  • Joäh Carvalho - mastering
  • Jeff Fenster - A&R
  • Maurie Kaufmann - drums
  • Lights - vocals (all tracks), bass, composer, creative director, drum programming, guitar, synthesizer
  • Blake Mares - assistant engineer
  • Pherbie Midgely - assistant engineer
  • Jay "Human Kebab" Parsons - composer, programming
  • Ashley Poitevin - marketing
  • Thomas "Tawgs" Salter - additional production, bass, composer, guitar, producer, synthesizer
  • Spike Stent - mixing
  • Alex Tenta - design and layout
  • Adam Weaver - synthesizer

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Little Machines
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[24] 5
US Billboard 200[25] 34

Certifications[edit]

Certifications and sales for Little Machines
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 40,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release dates for Little Machines
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Australia September 19, 2014 Standard · Deluxe Warner Bros. Records [27]
Ireland [28]
New Zealand [29]
United Kingdom September 22, 2014 [30]
Canada September 23, 2014 LIGHTS Music · Universal Music Canada [31]
United States Warner Bros. Records [21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Tom. "LIGHTS announces new album Little Machines and debuts new single 'Up We Go'". HMV. Hilco UK. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b Collar, Matt. "Little Machines – Lights". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Tan, Emily (September 23, 2014). "LIGHTS' 'Little Machines': Album Review". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Colin (October 13, 2014). "Lights: Little Machines". Popmatters. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  5. ^ Ritchie, Andy (September 16, 2014). "Lights – Little Machines". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  6. ^ "Canadian Albums : Page 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Billboard 200 : Page 2". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Weekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 02 October 2014 - Alan Cross". 3 October 2014.
  9. ^ "And the Nominees Are".
  10. ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason. "Lights Single Premiere: Listen to 'Running With the Boys'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  11. ^ Stern, Bradley. "LIGHTS Announces New Album 'Little Machines' And Premieres New Single, "Up We Go": Listen". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  12. ^ a b Moskovitch, Greg (23 July 2014). "Lights Announces New Album 'Little Machines', Streams Single 'Up We Go'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  13. ^ a b "LIGHTS Talks Growing Up, New Album 'Little Machines' & Going Into Labor While Recording: Idolator Interview". Idolator. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  14. ^ a b c Ruth, Jackie (22 July 2014). "Lights Announces New Album Little Machines For September 2014 Release". mxdwn. Velum Media. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  15. ^ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Mediabase. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  16. ^ "Billboard chart search / title = Up We Go / chart =Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard Biz. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  17. ^ "Billboard chart search / title =Up We Go / chart =Canada CHR/Top 40". Billboard Biz. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  18. ^ "LIGHTS - Up We Go [Official Music Video]". YouTube. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  19. ^ "Canada Hot AC National Airplay". Nielsen N.V. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  20. ^ lights. "LIGHTS - Running With The Boys [Official Music Video]". YouTube. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  22. ^ "Little Machines - Lights - Credits - AllMusic". Allmusic. September 19, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  23. ^ Kirschberg, Samantha (September 30, 2014). "Little machines, big impact: An interview with Lights". HelloGiggles. New York City (published October 18, 2014). Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  24. ^ "Lights Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  25. ^ "Lights Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lights – Little Machines". Music Canada. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  27. ^ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (AU). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  28. ^ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (IE). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  29. ^ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (NZ). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  30. ^ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (GB). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  31. ^ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
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