When The Night: island sounds for the autumn chill
Want to read spiked ad-free? Become a spiked supporter.
Jean-Philip Grobler, aka St Lucia, began his musical career singing in the Drakensberg Boys Choir. The choir toured the globe, and his debut album, When The Night, bears the trace of this musical wanderlust.
Against a backdrop of 80s synth-pop, he channels all of his influences into a sound that feels altogether tropical – putting one in mind of late nights spent on Caribbean sands.
Album opener, ‘The Night Comes Again’, is built up of ethereal, reverb-soaked vocals and pulsing synths. ‘The Way You Remember Me’ then digs into more 80s and 90s sounds, blending Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and The Cure’s ‘Friday, I’m In Love’ before exploding into a soaring saxophone solo.
Elsewhere, he takes on more cheesy textures to mixed effect. The euphoric ‘Elevate’ sounds like incidental music for Made In Chelsea, in a good way, while the airy guitar-sounding synth of ‘All Eyes On You’ is reminiscent of All Saints’ ‘Pure Shores’, in a very, very bad way.
After a sluggish middle-section, comes the LP’s highpoint: ‘Too Point’, driven by a blipping arpeggiator and driving percussion, is a seven-minute pop masterpiece.
In all, Grobler melds his influences well into a breezy, summery sound. It can get a little samey, and the tropical theme a little too laboured; certain songs shine, while others are rather forgettable. Still, as autumn closes in, When The Night will definitely put a spring in your step.
Alim Kheraj is currently interning at spiked.
Watch the video for ‘Elevate’
HELP US HIT OUR 1% TARGET
spiked is funded by you. It’s your generosity that keeps us going and growing.
Only 0.1% of our regular readers currently donate to spiked. If you are one of the 99.9% who appreciates what we do, but hasn’t given just yet, please consider making a donation today.
If just 1% of our loyal readers donated regularly, it would be transformative for us, allowing us to vastly expand our team and coverage.
Plus, if you donate £5 a month or £50 a year, you can join and enjoy:
–Ad-free reading
–Exclusive bonus content
–Regular events
–Access to our comments section
The most impactful way to support spiked’s journalism is by registering as a supporter and making a monthly contribution. Thank you.
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Only spiked supporters and patrons, who donate regularly to us, can comment on our articles.