LIGHTLINES’ recent debut single ‘Wasted’ highlighted the band’s two core strengths: how frontman George Shelley wrote an infinite amount of inspiring new songs to help purge his demons, and the fruitful creative wavelength he shares with his bandmates, guitarist Alex Pothecary and drummer/producer Will Jackson. Now LIGHTLINES continue to surge ahead as they share their second single ‘Animal’. Listen HERE.
‘Animal’ accentuates the genre-blurring adventures that the trio introduced with ‘Wasted’. This time they go further in both sonic extremes, heightening both their funk-pop grooves and the gritty alt-rock bounce to create something compellingly distinctive. As we’ve come to expect, George provides a charismatic focal point as his voice hits a darker tone without losing any of his appealing star quality. And like ‘Wasted’ before it, ‘Animal’ lives up to LIGHTLINES’ mission statement to craft songs of self-discovery, which bridge the gap between who you were and who you are becoming.
George says, “Most of my life, I’ve been a scared little cub. Chewed up and spat out. My career began in a jungle of judgement, where talent shows, public votes, headlines, and opinions dictated my adolescence. Over time, I adapted to people-please, to twist myself into shapes to fit into boxes, just to feel accepted. In doing that, I lost my artistry, my identity, my voice. And so for years, I’ve felt silenced, afraid of what people would think if I spoke about what I went through, but I’m done living in that fear. It’s lion time.
The truth is, I’ve been through pain, loss, abuse, and heartbreak. Yet still, I’m here. I feel deeply, I love fully, and I create with everything I have, even when all I had was my guitar and a suitcase full of clothes that no longer fit. That’s not weakness, that’s strength. That gives me my pride. This is ‘Animal’. The song that bites back. The song that indulges the animalistic nature of human beings and roars with wildness and instinct.”
‘Animal’ was written by George Shelley and was produced by Will Jackson.
George Shelley’s rise with a catalogue of Top 10 hits with Union J is well documented, but his LIGHTLINES collaborators have also dedicated their lives to music. Alex played in indie bands from a young age before studying for a masters in music composition, while Will first played piano as a child before pursuing his passion for production.
LIGHTLINES came together in an unconventional way. Alex and George were both working in the same coffee shop to raise money for their musical passions, and both were inspired by each other’s talents. The band was completed when George befriended Will after overhearing him talking about music production in another local cafe. Together they spent several months working through the best of the 300+ songs that George had written, before collectively honing and fine-tuning their sound in the studio.
The trio are particularly excited to debut the LIGHTLINES live experience, which will see the core trio expanded to a five-piece with the addition of a bassist and keyboard player. Stay tuned for more news…
