(Credits: HNNY)

THE SKINNY: Electronic music can often provide the best sonic antidote to procrastination. From Floating Points to Four Tet, producers who work in a softer, more subdued iteration of the genre have mastered the art of the album you can fall into, the kind of record you hit play on and before you know it, you’ve completed all of those tasks you’ve been putting off for the last month. In 2015, HNNY provided his own take on this serene, study-friendly music with his debut album, Sunday.

Despite the success of the titular track and standout ‘Cheer Up, My Brother’, the Swedish producer held off on releasing a full-length follow-up. Now, almost a decade on, he returns with his long-awaited sophomore offering, Light Shines Through. It’s a reflective record that moves away from the soul samples of his debut, instead leaning even further into electronic serenity and simplicity through tiny, twinkling offerings.

The vocal parts are even more limited and interrupted, and I am barely able to finish a word, never mind a sentence. Synths sparkle and shimmer but never ostentatiously, and while the pulsing percussion certainly cuts through the noise, it does so politely, as if asking for permission. It’s certainly the kind of record that you could stick on at the start of a study session and get lost in, though you might have to queue it up a couple of times as it only clocks in at 24 minutes long.

Light Shines Through is a truly tiny offering — in its production, in its length, in its scope — but it’s all the more endearing for it. Even nine years in the making, 20 minutes or so is more than enough.

For fans of: Study soundtracks that make you feel like the coolest person in the library.

A concluding comment from Elle’s boyfriend: “It’s like a more swagged-up lo-fi beats to study/relax to.”

Light Shines Through track-by-track:

Release date: July 5th | Producer: HNNY | Label: Local Talk

‘Beginning’: A tiny glimmer of light, or the perfect gentle alarm tone. [3/5]

‘I’ll Come Your Way’: The first full-length track on Light Shines Through provides glimpses at vocal sunlight through cloudy synths and quietly clashing percussion. It’s the kind of track that will undoubtedly find its way onto the study playlists of second-year students up and down the country. [3/5]

‘Lila’: HNNY quickly returns to smaller ventures with ‘Lila’, a glistening collage of echoing vocals and calming hums clocking in at just 41 seconds. It’s magically miniscule. [3.5/5]

‘Melody Electronics’: The soundscapes begin to open up a little more on ‘Melody Electronics’, which brings in playful pops and cut-off words. It’s serene and subtle but gorgeously so, as the muted percussion and floaty vocals work together in a collage of calm. [4/5]

‘The Smallest Things’: HNNY settles into his detailed yet dinky sound on ‘The Smallest Things’, which adheres to its title with tiny twinkles and polite percussion. Light Shines Through feels like a truly contained endeavour, but it’s no less beautiful or ambitious for its solitude or its size. [4/5]

‘Light Shines Through’: Even as HNNY lets the light in, it only shines on the smallest things. The shakes and synths that make up the titular track are barely-there, becoming even more so as they repeat for almost three minutes. It’s hypnotic. [4/5]

‘All For You’: ‘All For You’ is the most energetic track yet, but it still contains that chilled-out quality that characterises the entirety of Light Shines Through. The drums are a little more lively, the vocals a little more agitated, but it’s still a work of swirling serenity. [3/5]

‘Other Worlds’: As we approach the end of Light Shines Through, HNNY takes us on a brief trip into outer space. ‘Other Worlds’ barely surpasses a runtime of a minute, but its gently rising synths and alien vocals contain worlds within them. It wouldn’t go amiss on the soundtrack to a sci-fi flick. [3.5/5]

‘Morning Trip’: HNNY has a knack for naming songs, something that can be quite a difficult task for a largely instrumental producer. ‘Morning Trip’ is the perfect composition for a quiet but productive morning. [3/5]

‘I Let Go’: HNNY ends Light Shines Through with his lengthiest offering. Closer ‘I Let Go’ boasts a runtime of four minutes and 18 songs, which feels like an epic compared to the rest of the record. Luckily, ‘I Let Go’ is captivating throughout, with slightly skittish percussion offset by fragile vocals. [3/5]