Lane 8’s ‘Little By Little’ is a spectacular aural odyssey grounded in its exploration of the human condition

by: Grace Fleisher Jan 19, 2018

The great paradox of the modern day is that despite numerous means of instantaneous communication, true and genuine connection is at a premium higher than any other point in history. Unsurprisingly, contemporary art wrestles with this, notably in Black Mirror‘s recent examination of dating apps and culture from the episode “Hang The DJ,” where the driving tension results from couples being matched up and immediately given a countdown until their inevitable split and disconnect.

Acutely aware of this strain stemming from disconnection is the melodic house maestro Daniel Goldstein, better known as Lane 8. In an effort to establish deeper contact with fans, Goldstein launched his This Never Happened series of events, which required attendees to abandon their phones and experience his mellifluous concoctions while entirely present, free from the distraction of technology.

In a discussion with DA from 2016, Goldstein delved into how important the introduction of his imprint and This Never Happened show concept was for his work:

Towards the end of last year I did a big album tour and played a ton of shows in a row and there were a few where, you know, you would look out playing ‘Diamonds’ or ‘Hot As You Want’ and just see a sea of phones recording the moment and nobody really just actually being there and experiencing it. I remember just seeing that and talking to my wife and saying, these people are not experiencing live music at all – everything is just a spectacle and I feel like that’s kind of something that’s just plaguing everything…”

Encouragingly, Lane 8 will tour his new album under the This Never Happened banner, out now via his imprint of the same name. Dubbed Little By Little, the LP flourishes in its embrace of the past, present, and future brand of his deep and melodic house music.

After the announcement of Little By Little, Goldstein unveiled the first single “No Captain,” featuring the distinct tones of POLIÇA‘s Channy Leaneagh. An intriguing vanguard, Goldstein embarked on a uniquely reflective journey of melodic house and evocative electronica, inspiring instrumental club ballads, and late-night memories along the way.

If standout vocal stylings are to be this album’s defining feature, then Little By Little is Goldstein’s magnum opus of stylistically evolved and meticulously-crafted curation. The producer welcomed several new vocals talents onto the LP, in the form of Australian talent Fractures on both “Clarify” and “Hold On” and the British singer-songwriter J.F. July on “Coming Back To You.” The strength of each vocalist is evident in the lift they give the record, in general, and each track, specifically. Like Lane 8’s earlier work, Little By Little is crafted with the mastery that fans have come to love amongst his catalog: a marriage of introspective and instrumental club tracks.

Each track on Little By Little presents a unique aural journey. Like Lane 8’s 2015 album Rise, Little By Little finds its poise in a form of lyrics that are equally wistful and thoughtful, driving melodies, and a meandering energy. Considering the driving forces behind “Hot As You Want,” featuring Solomon Grey, “Undercover’s” feature of Ghostly International founder Matthew Dear, or even “The One’s” highlight of Patrick Baker, it’s only right Little By Little sees that Lane 8’s use of male vocalists continues.

While each track on Little By Little touches on human connections in some capacity, Goldstein’s best captures the record’s ethos with “Skin & Bones.” “Are we seeking something more than this?” beckons vocalist Patrick Baker. The vocalist offers contemplation in his lyrics, speaking with an air of poignancy on the struggle to forge such meaningful bonds with others.

When Goldstein’s been asked to articulate the inherent meaning of his music in a number of interviews, he’s expressed, like many musicians, that his music is a cathartic medium for his listeners and that he ultimately hopes that they extract their own meanings from it. Surely, each of his tracks reflect intimate moments of his own life; that said, what he outputs is more than likely to move its listener in an entirely different way.

Little By Little is an especially bold release to kick off the new year, given the current climate that is currently straying away from albums in general. In providing such an extensive and sentimental expression of himself, Lane 8 proves that these bodies of work still serve an important purpose in the musical sphere. This isn’t to say that artists don’t pour their heart and soul into singles or EPs. However, when artists build a labor of love over the course of several years, listeners know that they’re putting everything on the line and challenging themselves on the immensely exposing path that is penning an LP.

“In a way, I think that’s what this album is all about — taking the time to appreciate each small step in a larger journey,” Goldstein’s expressed of the new record, and little by little, his work is allowing that journey to be all the more enjoyable for many.