Stephen EvEns (superpower – “to smell like food” ) follows up A Tree with an album full of his quirky observations and arrangements.

Release Date: 29th March 2024

Label: Onomatopoeia

Format: CD / digital / vinyl

Back in December 2023, we premiered A Tree video. A track of which we remarked“Think Madness meets Syd Barrett with the odd zap and whoosh from Hawkwind.” Here Come The Lights takes a similar step into the future; his indie-rock fairy tales are dispatched with psych rock and post-punk sensibilities amidst swooping and motorik guitars and an assortment sound effects.

Multi-instrumentalist Mr EvEns  sticks with guitar and vocals, while joined by an impressive cast of quite a few, the full band including Jimi Scandal on guitar, Crompton Whesp on drums, Debbie Smith on bass and Josh Perl on Sax and keyboards. There’s also a whole host of Brixton Hill Studio collaborators, including former Echobelly/Curve bassist Debbie Smith, Cardiacs alumni Bob Leith and William D. Drake, plus Hurtling and My Bloody Valentine guitarist and keyboard player Jen Macro.

Eyes closed and holding the nose, it’s in at the deep end with almost eleven minutes of A Song For Europe where the bright guitar figure finally finds its way through after a prolonged percussive build up. Extending the Radio Edit, the chorale develops into a full blown, no holds barred, psychedelic wig out that dissolves into a maelstrom of come down sonics. His self professed and joyous”love letter to Europe” almost – but not quite – banishing thoughts of Brexit, not for the only time seeing the bright side of life.

The fire in the belly (or is it just indigestion given that a sit down does the trick?) quashed temporarily in the Beans On Toast-esque ramblings of Firefly, the self-confessed whiff of outdoor cooking he carries around with him drifts across. Can you imagine Frank Zappa singing “everybody wants to be a barbeque head“? Yes, probably, and very likely in the funky groove that the EvEns band (sorry…) cook up.

The general air of bright and breeziness isn’t all consuming though. The “based on past experience” and very true scenario in Lazy Eyes, of the couple at dinner, sitting in silence, utterly sick of each other while not admitting it, for a brief touch of pathos, that’s actually quite touching. Topped off with an aching Space Rock coda, there’s the Hawkwind patch that we sensed in A Tree while a heavier and grandiose side drifts into view on Hello Salty Salty. However, as per the EvEns philosophy, it’s combined with a quirky offshoot.

The Barrett/early Floyd eccentricity is never far from popping it’s head above the parapet; A Bee (“knock, knock who’s there? A bee, a bee?“) is a brilliant summation of the eccentric combination of psychedelia/glam/pop; a kaleidoscopic combination that twirls from frantic riffing to electronic overkill and all great fun. The contrast of the of Happy New Year where the mournful reedy organ swirl and deep bass delivery proves a low key finale but no less than you’d expect from Here Come The Lights – the very epitome of ‘expect the unexpected’.

Here’s A Bee:

Stephen EvEns online: Facebook / X- formerly Twitter / Instagram / Bandcamp / Soundcloud

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