The Bright Side (Lenka album)

The Bright Side is the fourth studio album by Australian recording artist Lenka, released on 16 June 2015 by Sony Music. "Blue Skies" was released as the lead single on 4 March 2015.

The Bright Side
Studio album by Lenka
Released	16 June 2015
Genre	Indie pop pop
Label	Sony Music, Hickory Records, Skipalong Records
Producer	Lenka
Lenka chronology
Shadows (2013) The Bright Side (2015) Attune (2017)
Singles from The Bright Side
"Blue Skies" Released: 4 March 2015

Background

After self-releasing her third album, Shadows, on her own label, Skipalong Records, Lenka began writing her fourth effort. Lenka's third album came after her departure from Epic Records. Despite leaving her record company, in May 2015 it was announced that the album would be jointly released between Skipalong and Sony-ATV Music Publishing, which traditionally publishes Lenka's songs. The album was published through Sony ATV's record label, Hickory Records and Sony Red Music Distribution.[1] Co-president of Sony ATV US, Danny Strickt, stated that "Sony/ATV is excited to be taking this innovative approach with Lenka whose music has long been hugely popular with brands, TV shows and filmmakers. The new partnership perfectly illustrates how the company’s A&R and synch teams can effectively combine to create new opportunities for our songwriters." Sony-ATV US Vice-President said that “This is a really special partnership Sony/ATV has struck with Lenka. Our synch department has had such incredible success with her in the past and is receiving widespread interest for this new album."[2]

Single

"Blue Skies" was chosen as the album's first single, being released on February 28 exclusively on some news sites where Lenka commented on the song, her inspirations and news about the new album. On March 4 it was officially released on all digital platforms. The music video was released on March 10 on her YouTube channel. Directed and idealized by her husband James Gulliver Hancock, the production shows Lenka cycling through the city and lying on the green grass of the yard looking at the clouds in the sky and interpreting the song. In some scenes the clouds take the form of letters, hands, hearts and raindrops. Lenka also appears jumping in a tranpoline at various times. On May 29, a remix version of the song was released on a YouTube remix channel, Trap Nation, indirectly helping to promote the single. On January 9 Lenka released an EP of remixes of Blue Skies as a gift for their fans and to celebrate the new year.

Other songs

"Unique" was first released in January 2014 in some countries, however, eventually entered the tracklist of the album and was chosen as a promotional track. The music video was recorded in "selfie" format, showing Lenka in several places and with different costumes singing the song. The video still counts on the participation of several fans from all parts of the world, who recorded small videos dancing the song and sent to the official email of Lenka. "Go Deeper" was also released as a promotional album, but did not have a video. In an interview, Lenka revealed that the song was written in 2006 and was inspired by her husband.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Long Way Home"	Lenka Kripac	Josh Schuberth	3:27
2.	"Blue Skies"	Kripac	Damian Taylor	4:10
3.	"Free"	Kripac, Chris Braide	Chris Braide	3:19
4.	"Unique"	Kripac, Jason Reeves	Dan Romer, The Orphanage	3:17
5.	"Get Together"	Kripac	Josh Schuberth	2:55
6.	"Go Deeper"	Kripac, Jez Colin	Damian Taylor	3:54
7.	"We Are Powerful"	Kripac, Timothy Myers	Timothy Myers	2:59
8.	"My Love"	Kripac	Dan Romer, The Orphanage	3:07
9.	"Hearts Brighter"	Kripac	Tim Sommers	3:50
10.	"The Bright Side"	Kripac	Josh Schuberth	4:39

iTunes bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
11.	"It Gets Better"	Kripac, Myers	Timothy Myers	2:49

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Guardian	[3]
Rolling Stones	[4]
Spin or Bin	[5]
HTF Magazine	[6]
Star2	[7]

The Bright Side received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Darren Levin of the Rolling Stones said "It’s a cloying album at times, but only someone with a heart of stone could deny such a joyous and refreshing worldview." praising Lenka's optimism and the beautiful messages that the songs convey to the listener. Jacqueline Kim from The Guardian gave 4 out of 5 stars on the album saying "Still, we never lose that sense that the entire album sees the world as a glass that’s half-full, and for that reason, it’s just plain fun to listen to repeatedly. Yes, Lenka’s pop sensibilities may sound intended for use in mass media (which would explain why “The Show” worked so well in “Moneyball”), but really, who’s ever been ashamed to listen to something that was probably used as a cheery commercial jingle? Just take a leaf from Lenka’s happy-go-lucky philosophy in “Unique”: “I like to move around to a different beat, / … /I don’t really mind what you all think.”". However, Metacritic and Allmusic, two major and important American review sites did not evaluate the album.

[8][9][10]

References

1. "Sony/ATV Relaunches Hickory Records to Support Synch Superstar Lenka". Billboard.
2. "Sony/ATV to jointly release new Lenka album". Music Week.
3. Kim, Jacqueline (16 June 2016). "Review: The Bright Side". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
4. Levin, Darren (16 June 2015). "Lenka's New Album: The Bright Side". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
5. Jones, Michael (21 July 2015). "Album Review: If You Thought 'The Show' Was Lenka's Best Work, Check Out Her Latest Release 'The Bright Side' Review". SpinOrBin. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
6. Smith, Hannah (9 June 2015). "LENKA – THE BRIGHT SIDE | ALBUM REVIEW Review". HTF Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
7. Chin, Chester (3 August 2015). "Review: The Bright Side by Lenka". Star2. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
8. "Amazon.com: The Bright Side: Lenka: MP3 Downloads". amazon.com.
9. "ACE Title Search". www.ascap.com.
10. "Lenka - The Bright Side (CD, Album) at Discogs".

External links

• Lenka Official Website