Sound of Vinyl

Montreal-based Common Holly (Brigitte Naggar) appeared a few years back with the surprisingly accomplished debut album, Playing House. Holding fast to the honesty of her debut, her impending follow-up When I say to you Black Lightning is a look outward, a submergence into the dark and dissonant with consolation found in harmony and dry humour. Like a ticking internal monologue, the nine labyrinthian yet catchy tracks observe the complexities of mental health, the precarity of life, and the challenges of finding strength in the face of grave misunderstanding.

When I say to you Black Lightning is about finding the seeds of strength to navigate adult life, and about the ways in which we all find ourselves in that place of struggle when life starts to show you its cards. It ditches fear without losing vulnerability, and trades in sadness for the healing powers of anger, and the strength of observing, recognising and confronting.