Before you go ahead and whine about how this track isn\’t a true Seven Lions tune, read what the West Coast producer had to say about his latest project:
\”Hey Guys, Lucy has hit Beatport today. I figure I should do an explanation of this track since it seems to be the most controversial song I\’ve ever put out (even more so then Serpent of Old… wow) Anyways. It all started one night when I was playing a bottle service club at an undisclosed location. Needless to say it was a fucking nightmare, not a single person in that room knew my music or wanted to hear anything remotely melodic. Me, being somewhat of a snarky asshole, decided to play all that psy trance I\’ve been saving up for Burning Man just to weird them all out. It was a strange night for sure. But I had fun. Anyways. We had a long flight home the next day so I decided to grab some quotes about LSD from old movies and see if I could make a psy/bigroom combo track during the 6hr flight home. Lucy was born. So for everyone out there saying \”RIP Seven Lions\”… Suck my balls, you are the kind of people who make this feel like a job and not something I am doing for fun. For everyone else who has heard this song live on big ass speakers, I hope it did its job and weird-ed you out just a little bit :)\” – Seven Lions
The longer I make music for a living the more I want to find a day job and make this my hobby again.
— Seven Lions (@SevenLionsMusic) October 22, 2014
It is indeed the most controversial song Seven Lions has put out, but it really shouldn\’t be.
To summarize what happened, he became motivated to write a Psy trance song because the club he was playing at wasn\’t getting into his set as they should have been. Although I don\’t understand how someone could not get involved in a Seven Lions set, it seems that he made the night enjoyable by creeping out the crowd with some psychedelic fun. On his next-day flight, he connected his psy-esque ideas to LSD, culturally known to be one of the most popular psychedelic drugs. LSD shares its nickname with the title of the track: \”Lucy.\”
But why shouldn\’t this song be controversial in oppose to many people making it out to be? A lot of those who claim to be true fans of Seven Lions and his prior production are turned off by the track because it isn\’t high-energy, melodic dubstep. People think he\’s leaving his style to satisfy the main stage.
Well, don\’t you worry, Seven Lions \”fans.\” If you\’ve paid attention to his production, he draws his influences from trance just as much as he favors dubstep. He is a cultivator of his own \”Trancestep\” genre; this opens up his sets to contain a spectrum of tunes, ranging from the grimiest dubstep tracks to the most intense trance there is. \”Lucy\” is formed when Psy trance meets the popular Big Room sub-genre, two styles of music he actually incorporates in his sets. Concluding the debate: no, he didn\’t sell out. He made another genre-fusing track and I, as many others do, support it and his true creativity.
I wouldn\’t support it if I thought \”Lucy\” wasn\’t a well-produced tune, something I have learned to expect from Seven Lions and his stellar production. I first heard this song live over the summer and I was immediately drawn to it; he implements it perfectly in his set, which includes an array of genres you would not imagine him touching. The heavy kick, dark synths, and chopped samples referring to LSD really make \”Lucy\” have sort of a weary feel, perfect for capturing the attention of those watching him perform or those listeners looking for some upbeat motivation. Even the track\’s cover art is a trip in its own.
Oh, and apparently he sampled his cat meowing in the beginning; what a legend.
Seven Lions continues to be one of my favorite producers and performers. \”Lucy\” takes me on a 4 minute journey, the way any track (especially with that name) should. I wouldn\’t be upset hearing another song written in this style, even though I\’m a huge fan of his beautiful dubstep-orientated tunes.
Purchase this track on Beatport here: SEVEN LIONS – \”LUCY\” – CASABLANCA RECORDS
