Little Machines

Little Machines
Studio album by Lights
Released September 23, 2014 (2014-09-23)
Recorded 2013 - March 2, 2014
Los Angeles, CA
Vancouver, BC[1]
Genre
Length 38:33
50:09 (with bonus tracks)
Label Warner 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. "Running with the Boys"
    Released: January 26, 2015
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Idolator4/5[3]
Popmatters[4]
Rock Sound7/10[5]

Little Machines is the third studio album by Canadian electropop singer-songwriter Lights, released on September 23, 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 No. 84. In October 2014, Little Machines debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at No. 5, and on the US Billboard 200 at No. 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

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

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

"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

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Portal"  Lights Poxleitner 4:28
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"  Poxleitner 3:05
11. "Don't Go Home Without Me"  Poxleitner 3:27
Total length:
 38:33

Personnel

Credits and personnel for Little Machines adapted from Allmusic.[23]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6] 5
US Billboard 200[7] 34

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
CAN
[24]		 CAN
AC
[25]		 CAN
CHR
[26]		 CAN
Hot AC
[27]
2014 "Up We Go" 31 5 9 7
2015 "Running with the Boys" — 37 47 35

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Australia September 19, 2014 Standard · Deluxe Warner Bros. Records [28]
Ireland [29]
New Zealand [30]
United Kingdom September 22, 2014 [31]
Canada September 23, 2014 LIGHTS Music · Universal Music Canada [32]
United States Warner Bros. Records [22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tom. "LIGHTS announces new album Little Machines and debuts new single 'Up We Go'". HMV. Hilco UK. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 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. 1 2 "Canadian Albums : Page 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Billboard 200 : Page 2". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  8. ↑ http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/weekly-music-sales-report-analysis-02-october-2014/
  9. ↑ http://junoawards.ca/nominees/
  10. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 Moskovitch, Greg. "Lights Announces New Album ‘Little Machines’, Streams Single ‘Up We Go’". Music Feeds. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  13. 1 2 "LIGHTS Talks Growing Up, New Album ‘Little Machines’ & Going Into Labor While Recording: Idolator Interview". Idolator. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Ruth, Jackie. "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 Aug 25, 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. Google. 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. Google. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "Lights "Portal" (Official Single Cover)". Ultimate Music. josepvinaixa. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "Little Machines - Lights - Credits - AllMusic". Allmusic. September 19, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for Lights. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canada AC for Lights. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  26. ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Lights. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canada Hot AC for Lights. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  28. ↑ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (AU). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (IE). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  30. ↑ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (NZ). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version) by Lights". iTunes Store (GB). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  32. ↑ "Little Machines (Deluxe Version)". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
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