Lights, “A6.”

Canadian artist Lights Poxleitner-Bokan, mononymously known as Lights, has come a long way from the bouncy synth-pop optimism of her debut album, The Listening. With the passage of time comes growth, perspective and a more advanced sense of self. Enter A6, the latest album from the singer-songwriter, a simple nod to getting to a sixth long-player.

For an artist who’s taken on such a wide range of styles and sounds, A6 feels like the most closely aligned progression from that very first album, something that even gets a subtle nod in urgent alt-pop of “White Paper Palm Trees”

“Funny you’re repping on socials/ Call back to February Air/ Hand it to myself I’m better/ Better than ever, I swear,” she sings.

Lyrically, A6 taps into personal struggles and vulnerabilities in a world that often leaves us isolated inside our phones or social media accounts. While the words sometimes hit with raw and literal realism, the material taps into a sentiment that feels all too relatable in times of stress and struggle.

“I’m not gonna answer any texts/ Fuck, I’ll delete all my contacts/ But I won’t really, though/ Because I need attention/ I’m an attention hoe/ I better post a picture/ So you know I’m alive,” she sings on “Damage.”

The punky-synth of pop of “Alive Again” feels like the natural counterpart, taking those anxieties and channeling them into something positive.

“This might be the night that I die/and I don’t want to die alone/so come a little closer/I don’t even need to know your name,” she sings.

One of the album’s true gems is “Surface Tension,” a song that fuses a New-Order-esque throwback sound with a modern dark and moody synth-wave. It benefits from Poxleitner-Bokan’s time overseas—the bridge is in German comes as a surprise, but makes perfect sense.

The energy remains for the atmospheric “You’re Killing Me,” with its spacious synths and layered vocal harmonies. Lights again delves into the emotional struggle of modern relationships on “Ghost Girl on First,” a reference to a partner ghosting a relationship with no answers.

“And now I see you leaving/ I really didn’t see it coming/ Said that you’re going for the weekend/ Maybe I should’ve said something,” she sings.

The answer arrives on “Take It Easy,” which adds a tone of renewed self-confidence in the face of a relationship gone sour. The song is more subdued, with a laidback and subtle lyrical delivery. By and large, A6 tends to keep things musically straightforward; a guitar, bass, drums and synth without heaping on bells and whistles, as she’s done in the past.

The peppy “Drinks on the Coast” takes on a more confident tone. The song is an ode to chasing feelings, again through the lens of capturing that journey on social media. With its wordy, rhyming verses, the spacey and slowed-down bridge adds unexpected flare. Then, the chorus of danceable cut “Clingy” is buoyed by a sharp guitar line over a tight rhythm.

“The Other Side of the Door” manages to take a darkly personal song about loneliness and presents it as upbeat.

“Like the shadow of a god/ Just like a figure in the fog/ Only see you when I’m lost,” she sings.

“Piranha,” which calls back to Lights’ Siberia-era sound with a deep pulsating synth and driving rhythms, is a diamond in the rough. She just happens to reference Siberia on closer “Day Two,” a sweeping ethereal track where the vocals blend into the music.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at mikedewald.bsky.social.