This brand new Tayls video dropped today but it’s not just a new video; it’s also a brand new single and the opening track to an entire new EP of the same name, Darkest Light. More importantly, it’s also yet another maturation in the “Friendship Punk” genre that Tayls self-identifies as. When you make up a genre, you get to define it however you want but having been a fan of the band since 2018, I can see the hard edges are being sanded down and the euphoric optimism being heightened.
The video for “Darkest Light” is a psychedelic treat; filled with fluorescent explosions, lights beaming from orifices and glowing creatures stalking a protagonist to a final destination. The visual feast is propped up by an introspective set of lyrics about doubt and embracing optimism, both for yourself and for others. The chorus pleads “If there’s a light, let it shine, shine on me.” This isn’t interpretation, Tayls is laying it all out.
And therein lies the magic; Tayls have a keen ability to write highly personal songs about coping with self-doubt and feeling “oblivious to happiness” through a musical vessel that is unhinged with happiness. “Darkest Light” is downright squishy. It’s loud. It’s fun. It’s the perfect antidote to the contemplative lyrics. Taylor Cole may deliver the words with a bit of a snarl but it’s all part of the journey towards improvement. If every new Tayls release is also a clarification on the “Friendship Punk” definition; it seems to be firming itself into an outpouring of good vibes as a means of dealing with internal anguish. Quite frankly, that’s a modus operandi that I can get down with.