The Utter Genius of Brighter

Unless you are a big Sarah Records fan, its unlikely that you will have ever heard of Brighter. Their music was a kind of fuzzy, acoustic brand of indie-pop with lyrics that often spoke about being young and confused. They made quite a few releases on the now cult classic label, Sarah Records and these releases have really shaped the way that I write songs and my outlook on music.

The Brighter 7″ Around The World In Eighty Days would probably have to be my favorite 7″ of all time. When I am sad I like to put on Tinsel Heart which features the lyrics ” Don’t you ever let them touch you, don’t you ever let them in ” – it’s my power song against the world but twee style. The entire release feature no drums, which is a common theme with Brighter, but they are not really missed and (when they do make an appearance on other releases they add that little bit more because they are a rarity). One of my favorite parts of Brighter songs of the piano riffs that you don’t necessarily notice at first, they are subtle yet add a certain kind of richness to the songs which you wouldn’t get from only using guitars.

For me, Brighter songs are somehow both the song that you would listen to on a sunny day down the park and the song the that you would cry in your bedroom to. This is perhaps why I like them so much as I am able to take them songs and make them fit my narrative for that day. Despite the people in Brighter now being my Dad’s age, I do feel like these songs understood the part of adolescence that is forever confused and doesn’t quite know where it’s place is.

I am really pleased that one day I decided to pick up a Brighter record from my Dad’s collection because now I know that indie-pop doesn’t need drums and that it’s okay to write sad songs about your life (sometimes). I will now leave you with a YouTube mix of Brighter’s singles – enjoy!