A perfect blend of hipster pop and Los Angeles vibes, LANY’s Malibu Nights is an album full of delicate songs that tell tales of heartbreak and passion.
“I think there’s something, like, scientific or chemical attached to crying,” said LANY frontman Paul Klein in an interview with Genius. This philosophy is evident in the lead single “Through These Tears.” Deeply emotional, this song validates the necessity of feeling sadness and pain in dark times despite the knowledge that you will be okay eventually. The vulnerability and raw emotion in this song makes it an iconic breakup bop.
I also greatly enjoyed the opening song of the album, “Thick and Thin,” a heart wrenching ballad that questions the meaning and fragility of love. Setting up the themes and narratives of the rest of the album, “Thick and Thin” centers around a recently lost love that stirs up insanity, insecurity,and–above all–confusion. In this song, a happy, whirlwind romance suddenly turns bitter when the people in the relationship choose to give up after a small problem rather than work through the issues.
Overall, I found this album important in the way it deals with lost love in a raw and honest way. Rather than emphasizing emotion represion or unhealthy outlets, the album conveys the message that it is okay and it is human to feel emotions, no matter how ugly they may seem.